Jamie Foxx Shares His Simple Pitch for Getting Cameron Diaz out of Retirement

Jamie Foxx shared details of how he convinced Cameron Diaz out of retirement for the upcoming film Back In Action. The actress retired from acting in 2018 to focus on family and other projects. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight for the comedy-horror Netflix film Day Shift, where Foxx stars as a vampire hunter, Foxx said he simply asked Diaz:

“‘Do you wanna have some fun? Just have some fun!’ And I think that’s what brought her to it.”

Foxx’s simple pitch proved effective as Back in Action will mark Diaz’s return to the screen. Just last year, the actress discussed her decision to retire with Kevin Hart during his talk show Hart to Heart, saying:

“When you do something at a really high level for a long period of time, when you’re the person that’s sort of delivering on this one thing, everything around, all parts of you that isn’t that, has to sort of be handed off to other people. Just, the management of me as a human being… Cameron Diaz is a machine. But for my personal, spiritual self, I was realizing that one part of me that functioned at a high level wasn’t enough.”

Fox praised Diaz, a longtime friend and previous collaborator (the two have appeared together on Annie and Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday), calling her “an incredible force” who “has done so much in this business.” Dave Franco, who stars alongside Foxx in Day Shift, added to the conversation calling Foxx “the greatest leader in the business.”

Back in Action will be directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses). Gordon and Neighbors screenwriter Brendan O’Brien co-wrote the script. Foxx, O’Brien, Datari Turner, and Mark McNair will serve as executive producers. Producers are Beau Bauman for Good One Productions and Seth Gordon for Exhibit A. Plot details have not been released, but production is scheduled to begin this year.

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Cameron Diaz’s Career

News of Diaz’s return to film made headlines this June, after Foxx took to social media to share a conversation between the two and Tom Brady, who provided Diaz with some tips, noting his success at “un-retiring.”

Diaz last appeared in Annie, Sex Tape, and The Other Woman in 2014, but her acting career spans back to 1994. That year, Diaz made her film debut and starred alongside Jim Carrey in The Mask. In 1999, Diaz received praise for her portrayal of Lotte Schwartz in Being John Malkovich, receiving Best Supporting Actress nominations for the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Other notable film credits include My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, Gangs of New York, and Vanilla Sky. She has authored two health books and launched an Avaline, an organic wine brand in 2022. The actress has not discussed any acting plans post Back in Action.