Cameron Diaz Reveals She Quit Acting Due to Inappropriate On-Set Behaviour

See - Sada Elbalad

08-02-2025

Cameron Diaz has revealed she gave up acting after getting tired of "Inappropriate" behaviour on sets.
The "Mask" actress, 52, made her long-awaited comeback to our screens in Netflix's new movie " Back In Action" as part of an all-star cast alongside Glenn Close and Jamie Foxx.
The Netflix movie, which was released on January 17, follows Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx), two former CIA agents who have given up their life of espionage and action to settle down, start a family, and live a normal life.
However, things don't go so smoothly for them as their identities become compromised and they are forced to fight and run to protect those closest to them.
Following her return, Diaz, who also retired to focus on motherhood, has revealed that film sets have changed dramatically following her ten-year hiatus, thanks to the #MeToo movement.
She told the Skip Intro podcast: "The industry is so different. I mean, I definitely have to say that MeToo changed everything. You walk on to the set and it is different."
"There was always just like that one guy, you know, on set, that you were like, 'God, here he comes again,".
"There was always layers and layers of inappropriateness that you just kind of had to put up with," she added.
For "Back In Action", Diaz was approached by Human Resources prior to filming to discuss appropriate behaviour and was provided with an 'anonymous hotline' for cast and crew to report any issues.
"I was like, 'Wow, that's amazing'. The level of security and safety you feel as a woman now on set is great. I had never felt that before this film", she continued.
The movie trailer for the movie kicks off with Emily and Matt driving towards a restaurant with their children, however, they make a quick pit stop at a petrol station.
As he exits his car, a group of strangers surround him and his wife Emily and begin to attack them out of nowhere.
While they're able to defend themselves, their secret identities are revealed to their children and now they must figure out what threat there is to their family.
The action comedy, directed by Seth Gordon, serves as a comeback for both Diaz and Foxx following the latter's suffering a stroke in 2023 and Diaz quitting acting for her family in 2014.
Previously Diaz told Empire she returned to acting purely to work with Foxx again following "Any Given Sunday" and "Annie".
She said: "I thought that if I was going to come back and do a movie, the only person I'd come back and do it with would be this guy (Foxx),".
"Seriously. I had other opportunities along the way and I was always saying "No. I'm not doing it, I've told you... What? Jamie asked? Jamie? Oh, I can do a movie with Jamie!"'.
The "Holiday" star officially retired from her Hollywood career in 2018, before being lured back by her close friend Foxx to star alongside him in the action comedy.
But her comeback project was thrown into turmoil in 2023 when it was reported that Foxx 'had an absolute meltdown' on the UK set of the movie, which led to the firing of three people.
And in March 2023, a source close to the star revealed that - while Diaz didn't have any issues with Foxx - she likely won't return to the world of film after this movie, because she's had a hard time being away from her family and hates the 'drama and confrontation' that so often erupts on movie sets.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com the source said: "These back-to-back 10-hour workdays have been a lot on her and she hates being away from Raddix."
They added: "Cameron loves being a mom more than anything in the world."
"She hates drama and confrontation. This is why she retired from the business in the first place,".
"She has already proven herself in the industry and has nothing left to prove to anyone."
Diaz walked away from Hollywood in 2018 to spend more time with her rocker husband Benji, Madden.
The two welcomed their daughter in December 2019 and have been incredibly private about their lives as parents to their three-year-old.