Cameron Diaz breaks silence on rumors 'Jamie Foxx forced her to quit acting for good'

September 22, 2024

Cameron Diaz has finally addressed the rumor mill when it comes to her working relationship with Jamie Foxx.

It has long been claimed the Hollywood star quit acting because of her three-time co-star. He was said to have “made things miserable” on the set of their upcoming blockbuster Back to Action, which made Cameron “never make another movie again.” However, she has now cleared the air and couldn’t have been more complimentary of Jamie.

Cameron Diaz calls Jamie Foxx ‘a special person’

During an appearance on Lipstick on the Rim podcast, the 51-year-old addressed the rumors which have been circulating about her career and the state of her relationship with Jamie. She admits she “hated” what she had heard.

Cameron explained: “I really hate all of the things that were being said about our set at the time. You just want to scream at the top of your lungs, like, ‘What are you talking about?’”

Cameron Diaz then went on to compliment Jamie Foxx, whom she has starred with in two previous movies, Any Given Sunday in 1999 and 2014’s Annie.

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“Jamie is the best. I love that guy so much,” she said. “He’s such a special person and he’s so talented, so much fun.”

However, the celebrity did say there had been “hiccups” on set, but said it was due to the “natural things that happen.”

“When I see and hear people trying to take another person down like that … [Jamie is] so classy. He’s like, ‘Nope. Just let them [talk].’”

Though she said it “wasn’t her place” to talk about Jamie’s illness and hospitalization, which impacted filming, she told the podcast’s host, Molly Simms, he is “thriving.”

Jamie’s illness made him ‘see the tunnel’

Jamie Foxx himself recently spoke out in an interview for the first time since his horrific ordeal earlier this year, which occurred during the filming of his movie with Cameron Diaz, which caused him to be hospitalized. The 56-year-old explained he “saw the tunnel but didn’t see the light.”

During his acceptance speech for winning the Vanguard Award at the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television: Honoring Black, Latino, and AAPI Achievements event earlier this month, he said he was grateful for his life and career.

The Day Shift star said: “It feels good to be here. I cherish every single minute now, it’s different.

“I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy because it’s tough when it’s almost over when you see the tunnel. I saw the tunnel, I didn’t see the light. It was hot in that tunnel too, I don’t know where I was going. ‘S***, am I going to the right place?’”

Jamie continued: “I have a new respect for life, I have a new respect for my art. I watched so many movies and listened to so many songs trying to have the time go by. Don’t give up on your art, man, don’t give up on your art. When you realize that it could be over like that… I got to tell you don’t give up on your art and don’t let them take the art from you either.”

Why did Cameron quit acting?

Back to Action marks the first time Cameron will star in a big blockbuster since stepping back from acting nearly 10 years ago in 2014. Though the rumors about Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx have been rampant, her reason for leaving the first time was much less dramatic. She simply wanted to focus on starting a family with her husband, Benji Madden.

The couple welcomed a daughter in January 2020 after marrying in 2015.

Talking about stepping back from acting, Cameron explained acting “consumed her whole life” and so wanted a break from it and to think about her next move.

The Bad Teacher star said: “When you’re doing something that you know and you’ve done well and you know how it works and it’s consumed your whole life for so long, it’s kind of a nice thing to kind of go, ‘You know what? Let me just step back for a second, take a look at what the whole picture looks like for me, and what are the things that I could do better and be more engaged with that would make me feel more whole?”

“And I did that,” she said.

However, though she said she missed “aspects” of being a film star, it was “a different lifestyle.”

“I miss aspects of acting, or making movies. Yeah, making movies is a particular skill set that is fun to exercise and be a part of. But yeah, it’s a different lifestyle. And you kind of have to be ready to do that.”

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