Jamie Foxx Shares How He Convinced Cameron Diaz To End Her Hollywood Retirement

The "Any Given Sunday" co-stars are teaming up again for Netflix's "Back in Action," which will mark Diaz's return to acting after an eight-year hiatus.
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Fans can thank Jamie Foxx for successfully convincing Cameron Diaz to return to the film industry after an eight-year hiatus.

The two actors are set to star in the the forthcoming Netflix comedy, “Back in Action.” It’ll be their third movie together after 1999’s “Any Given Sunday” and 2014’s “Annie.”

In a new interview, Foxx explained how he persuaded Diaz ― who hasn’t appeared on-screen since “Annie” ― to sign on for his new project.

“Cameron is such an incredible force and she has done so much in this business,” he told Entertainment Tonight Thursday. “We love her. We had to be very innovative in how we, you know, brought her back.”

The pitch, Foxx explained, was simple. He told Diaz: “‘Do you wanna have some fun? Just have some fun!’ And I think that’s what brought her to it.”

Diaz formally announced her retirement from acting in 2018. Much of her time out of the spotlight has been focused on health and biotech startups. In 2020, she and husband Benji Madden welcomed a daughter, Raddix.

That same year, she launched an organic wine brand, Avaline, with business partner Katherine Power.

Jamie Foxx (left) and Cameron Diaz in 2014.
Jamie Foxx (left) and Cameron Diaz in 2014.
Dave J Hogan via Getty Images

The star of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “There’s Something About Mary” told Harper’s Bazaar in April that she felt at peace with her decision.

“My life is just completely different than when I was making movies,” she said. “A lot less travel, a lot more sleep, my skin’s clearer because I don’t have so much makeup on all the time.”

By June, however, Foxx confirmed Diaz’s “Back in Action” casting with a quirky video posted to his social media accounts. In it, he can be heard connecting Diaz to NFL superstar Tom Brady, who announced his retirement from professional football earlier this year only to rejoin the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40 days later.

“I’m relatively successful at un-retiring,” Brady quipped in the clip.

Though details on “Back in Action” are thus far scarce, the movie will be directed by Seth Gordon, whose credits include 2008’s “Four Christmases” and 2011’s “Horrible Bosses.” A release date has not been announced.

Of Diaz’s return from retirement, Foxx told ET, “We miss special moments sometimes, in our business, and I think this is a special moment. So we’re so happy that it’s happening and looking forward to it.”

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