This Is How Jamie Foxx Got Cameron Diaz to End Her Hollywood Retirement

If there was ever a person who could persuade Cameron Diaz to end her Hollywood retirement, it's Jamie Foxx.

The actor and comedian, indeed, got Diaz to come back to the film industry by giving her an offer she couldn't refuse: "Just have some fun!"

In a new interview, Foxx explained how he got Diaz on board for his upcoming Netflix film Back in Action—which will also star Dave Franco and Karla Souza.

"Cameron is such an incredible force and she has done so much in this business," Foxx told Entertainment Tonight "We love her." He added that when it came time to pitch her the project, he simply told her, "Do you wanna have some fun? Just have some fun!' And I think that's what brought her to it."

Longtime friends Foxx and Diaz starred in the 2014 comedy-drama film Annie together, but fours years later, the My Best Friend's Wedding star said she was leaving the industry to focus on her family and other projects. In 2019, she welcomed daughter Raddix with husband Benji Madden, and that same year, she came up with the idea for her now-thriving organic grape wine brand, Avaline. Diaz told BAZAAR.com this April that her life since leaving Hollywood has been "completely different" and much more peaceful, but in a July interview with CBS Mornings, she admitted she does "miss aspects of acting, or making movies."

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."

The actor added that he had to be "very innovative" in how he and the film cast "brought her back," and revealed he facilitated a call between Diaz and NFL star Tom Brady, who shared some tips with her on how to un-retire. (Brady famously said he was leaving football earlier this year, only to take back his decision weeks later.)

Back in Action, an action comedy, will be directed by Seth Gordon. A release date has not yet been announced.

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