Cameron Diaz Revealed the Sweet Way Husband Benji Madden Sparked Her Acting Return

After taking a 11-year-long hiatus from acting, Cameron Diaz is back on the big screen with Back In Action–an action comedy which has her and co-star Jamie Fox playing retired spies that are forced to resume their former careers. In a new cover story interview with Vogue Mexico, the former rom-com icon revealed that she didn’t see a return to acting in her future when she officially announced her retirement and pivoted her focus to being a mom. Instead, it was something that her husband, Benji Madden, said that ultimately convinced Diaz to return to acting.

The Holiday alum told fans she was leaving her acting career to focus on her family in 2018, but she hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2014’s Annie until now. As she retreated from life in the spotlight to care for her two kids, daughter Raddix and son Cardinal, Diaz revealed that she was the last person that thought she’d be in another movie.

“I thought I would never act again,” she shared in her cover story interview, which was published on January 21.“I thought I had left all that behind to dedicate myself to my family.” After Annie co-star Foxx–whom she called “the most talented man in show business”–called her about the project, her husband ultimately sealed the deal on her getting back into acting.

“[Benji Madden said] now we support you, we let you shine and do what you love. It’s your turn,” she said of the musician’s encouraging words of support. However, Diaz admitted there was still some indecision and a lack of confidence as she wondered if she’d be able to get back into acting after so many years away from the industry. Ultimately, she decided to go for it.

“I just jumped in,” she told the publication. “I thought: What do I need to do to be ready? And then I did the job, like I always have.”

Looking back, Diaz said she felt “grateful” for the opportunity to get back into movies, saying, “It is a privilege to make films, and we are all so lucky to do what we do. That the door was even open for me after a decade was amazing.”

Speaking about her decade-long break, the There’s Something About Mary actress added, “I loved those 10 years for me and my family, but I thought, ‘If I let this go away, if I don't engage again, and if I don't give it a chance, I am a fool.’”

However, fans shouldn’t get too hopeful about a potential The Holiday sequel, as Diaz previously said she’ll be swapping out her “rom-coms” for “mom-coms” as a pre-requisite for her return. Even during her Vogue Mexico interview, the actress played coy when talking about what her future in film will look like. “It might be the beginning of something, but it’s here now and I am grateful for it,” she shared.

Read the original article on InStyle