Cameron Diaz has shared why she chose to take a 10-year break from making movies.
The actor first announced that she was going into temporary retirement in 2002 but months later revealed it was not likely that she'd pursue any new acting projects. The 52-year-old star divulged that taking time for herself was the motivating factor for her to step away from acting during an appearance at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit.
"It felt like the right thing for me to reclaim my own life and I just really didn’t care about anything else," she said, according to the Independent.
"Nobody’s opinion, nobody's success, no one's offer, no one's anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have. I think it really comes to, What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family."
Diaz is married to Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden, with whom she has two children.
She stepped out of retirement to star alongside Jamie Foxx in "Back in Action. "
"I couldn’t say no to Jamie," Diaz said. "He said, 'Come with me.' And I was like, 'OK, let's do it.' It's our third film together."
Diaz previously spoke about her hiatus during an interview with InStyle magazine.
"The way I look at it is that I’ve given more than half of my life to the public. I feel it’s OK for me to take time for myself now to reorganize and choose how I want to come [back] into the world," she said.
Diaz was in her early 20s when she first rose to fame. Her breakthrough role came in 1994, when she appeared opposite Jim Carrey in "The Mask." Dozens of blockbuster roles ensued over the next two decades before she finally decided to take a break.
"I don’t miss performing," she admitted.