Without a doubt, Cameron Diaz is a celebrity. Diaz has been incredibly warm and charming in every production since her debut in The Mask, even the (very few and far between) blunders. She has performed admirably in practically every genre you can think of, including family-friendly roles in the Shrek films as Princess Fiona and bizarre comedy like Being John Malkovich and blockbusters like Charlie’s Angels.
After completing the 2014 film Annie, Diaz took a break from acting, but she will make a comeback in the action comedy Back in Action, which comes out on November 15, 2024. To find out if you are aware of all these little-known facts about Cameron Diaz, if you consider yourself a superfan, continue reading.
1) From the Mask to Modelling
Diaz’s ascent to fame was swift following her costarring role with Jim Carrey in the slapstick comedy The Mask. Her first acting job was that of Tina Carlyle, a jazz singer.
As a model, Diaz was contracted by Elite Model management, who set up an audition with the movie’s producers. Despite being a complete novice in the acting industry, Diaz’s innate charisma and skill garnered her a role at the age of 21.
2) Cannes’s Mask Stars
Diaz and Jim Carrey went to the Cannes Film Festival to promote the July 1994 release of The Mask, which was based on the same-titled Dark Horse Comics series. In its early stages of creation, it supposedly may have been a horror film, but it was a box office success and is today praised for its imaginative special effects and outrageous performances.
3) Constantly a Fashion Star
At the age of sixteen, Diaz started modelling while still in high school, appearing in ads for Calvin Klein and Levi’s. Before Hollywood approached her, she spent a few years in the 1990s modelling for Elite.
4) Diaz is an accomplished driver.
The celebrity is shown here in 1995 competing in the Toyota Pro/Celebrityhood Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Diaz obviously has a bit of an adventurous streak. She has done some of her own driving stunts in films such as Knight and Day, and in this adorable bit from the 2010 season of Top Gear, she burns leather.
5) Diaz Was Not able to Play Mortal Kombat
Priority one for the role of Sonya Blade in the 1995 movie based on the bloody fighting video game series Mortal Kombat went to Cameron Diaz. Soon after finishing The Mask, she started martial arts training for the part, but she had to stop as she was hurt. Thank goodness, she’s had lots of other opportunities to show off her action star potential.
6) The Last Supper
When Diaz made her big breakthrough, she had some time to work on smaller projects than The Mask. In the independent dark comedy The Last Supper, Diaz played a member of a group of doctoral students who plan to kill a bunch of ultra-conservatives during a cocktail party. Despite its lack of popularity, it received a stellar three-star review from Roger Ebert.
7) The wedding of my best friend
Diaz starred in one of the best romantic comedies ever made, My Best Friend’s Wedding. Even though actress Julia Roberts got a lot of credit for her performance, Diaz was equally good in the supporting role. During a 2019 reunion for Entertainment Weekly, the director and cast talked about the influence of the film and reminisced about special moments like Diaz’s amazing karaoke sequence.
8) Live on Saturday nights
Beginning her hosting career in 1998, Diaz has hosted an incredible four Saturday Night Live episodes. She has performed for this comedy institution in hilarious music videos, outrageous speeches, and some really goofy roles.
9) Being John Malkovich
For those who haven’t seen it yet, Diaz’s role in Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich is a brilliantly strange outing. In an interview with Cranky Critic, she discussed creating a new appearance for her character Lotte Schwartz. Before I put on the costume and started chatting with the production crew, I had no idea that people wouldn’t recognise me. Diaz remarked, “I assumed they recognised me, but they believed I was a stranger.”
10) Angels of Charlie’s
Diaz’s amazing performance in this spy action thriller alongside Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore is impossible to forget. “Your new best friend is pain,” Diaz wrote in her book, describing how martial arts master Cheung-yan Yuen gave her a motivational speech during her preparation for the role that was worthy of a motion picture.