For Cameron Diaz to find fulfillment in her life, she decided to step away from acting.
The actress, who, from the mid-1990s to the 2010s starred in popular films like The Mask, There's Something About Mary, and Shrek, discussed her Hollywood retirement during the Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit on Monday (Oct. 14).
During "The Multi-Hyphenates" Dinner and Conversation panel, Diaz was asked by moderator and Fortune journalist Emma Hinchliffe about adopting a more "manageable life" during her acting pivot around the 11-minute mark below.
"Well, I can only speak for myself, like, for me, it was just something I had to do. It felt like the right thing for me to reclaim my own life, and I just really didn't care about anything else," Diaz said.
Although Diaz stars in upcoming films Shrek 5, Outcome, and Back in Action opposite Jamie Foxx, her last role was in 2014 musical comedy Annie. In 2020, she co-developed a wine brand, Avaline, with business partner Katherine Power.
"Nobody's opinion, nobody's success, no one's offer, no one's anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have," Diaz continued. "It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family."
Diaz married Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden in 2015, with whom she shares two children, Raddix, four, and six-month-old Cardinal, who were born via surrogacy.
Around the 15-minute mark, Diaz credited her family and Foxx with encouraging her to come out of retirement for Back in Action, which is slated to debut on Netflix in January 2025.
"It was just the right time for my family. After COVID, we were in the house for a long time, which was amazing and the problem was we would probably stay there, we would still be there right now. People would be like, 'It’s over,' and I’d be like, 'No it’s not, it’s not over for me,' Diaz explained.
"So I had to push myself; my husband and I—my husband, who is the best—he was like, 'You’ve been supporting us and building the family’ and supporting him in his businesses, he’s like, 'It’s time for us to support you and let Mommy ascend and do her thing.' He’s like, 'Let me see you do it, girl.’ I was like, 'All right, here we go.'"
And she "couldn't say no" to the They Cloned Tyrone star. "He said, ‘Come with me,’ and I said, 'OK let’s do it,'" Diaz said. "It’s our third film together, so it’s really great."