Despite boasting an impressive and versatile resume, the bubbly blonde is best known for her star turns in romantic comedies such as The Holiday, There’s Something About Mary and What Happens In Vegas. Her output this year has been of a decidedly darker tone, however.

In My Sister’s Keeper, she earned plaudits playing a protective and tormented mother prepared to do anything to save her cancer-stricken daughter.In The Box, which opens this month, she also plays a mother who succumbs to the temptations of a charming stranger to try to give her child a chance at a better life.

Diaz is already bracing for the questions about whether these roles have a deeper significance for her.”Those roles were chosen for the stories that were being told,” Diaz says over the phone from Boston, where she is shooting a movie with Tom Cruise.”They both happened to be mothers, which turned out to be more a coincidence than anything else.I just thought they were interesting characters and interesting stories.

“It’s the same thing as playing a pickpocket in Gangs Of New York _ I didn’t really have the urge to go out and pick people’s pockets.”In What Happens In Vegas, I go out, get drunk and marry a stranger. I didn’t have any urge to do that either. It’s just a story.”

Diaz concedes, however, that her film choices tend to reflect “the rhythm” of her life at the time she accepts them.
She thinks in terms of tone rather than genre, how much she’s likely to enjoy making the movie and what she’s likely to gain from it in terms of personal satisfaction.

“Sometimes through life you want to laugh and have a good time and not think about anything. At other times, you’re pondering something that goes a bit deeper,” she says.At 37, and boasting powerful box-office clout as one of the highest-paid actors in the world, Diaz is at a time in her career when she can just about do whatever she pleases.

Despite Hollywood having an appalling track record of quality roles for women over 40, Diaz doesn’t feel like the clock is ticking in any way.Fifteen years after successfully making the transition from modelling to acting in The Mask, she still has no grand plan for career longevity, choosing to embrace each opportunity as it presents itself.

“I’m not 40 yet, and I don’t know what I’m going to want,” Diaz says.”I’m certainly not sitting here worrying. I’m just making the most of the life I’m living, as I’ve done all along.”At the very first press junket I did for The Mask, they asked me, `Where do you want to be in 10 years?’ and I just said, `happy’.

“I can give that same answer now. It’s more than 10 years later, and I’m still happy making movies.”And as long as I’m happy making movies, I’ll keep making movies.”If I’m not, then I’ll do something else that makes me happy.”

Making choices is central to Diaz’s role in The Box, a sci-fi thriller based on a 1970 short story (later made into a Twilight Zone episode) that has been adapted and directed by Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly.Diaz says she was attracted to the movie’s idea that everybody is connected and all our actions have repercussions, for better or worse.

“There are six billion of us in the world, but we all affect one another’s day-to-day life with the choices we make,” she says.”All you can do is the best you can and try to make the most aware and conscious decisions that you can.”The ever-versatile Diaz is shifting gears again for her next project.

Apart from shooting the action-comedy film Wichita with friend and Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise, she’s also finishing The Green Hornet, comedian Seth Rogen’s foray into the superhero genre.”That was a lot of fun,” Diaz says of working on The Green Hornet.”I loved working with Michel Gondry, and I loved working with Seth Rogen.”They’re awesome, fantastic people, and I can’t wait to get back and have more fun with them.”

Variety reports that the James Mangold-directed action-comedy starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz now has an official title – Knight & Day. The 20th Century Fox film had previously been known as “Wichita” and “Trouble Man.”

The movie, currently filming in Boston, also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Olivier Martinez, Paul Dano, Maggie Grace and Mark Blucas.

Knight & Day centers on a lonely woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.

Mangold wrote the script with Scott Frank. The studio is planning a July 2, 2010 release.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz thrilled special needs students by treating them to a meet-and-greet on the set of their latest movie last month.The actors invited 17 students from Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School in Massachusetts to a local cornfield, where they were preparing to shoot a scene for upcoming action/comedy Wichita.

The Vanilla Sky co-stars were introduced to each of their fans, posing for individual photos and showing off film props before treating them to ice cream and cupcakes.
Teacher’s aide Joanne Silipigno tells the Patriot Ledger, “The students said, ‘We feel like movie stars’ They felt famous. And (they) were, for the day.”

Cameron Diaz hung out with her director’s parents to prepare for a movie role. The actress says that her character Norma in ‘The Box’ was based so closely on filmmaker Richard Kelly’s mother, she decided the best way to work on her accent and mannerisms was to spend time with her.

She explained: “Norma and her husband Arthur – played by James Marsden – were literally based on Richard’s parents. His father did exactly the same job as Arthur and Norma has the same disfigurement of the foot his mother had. The film’s his interpretation of their love story and their dedication to one another.

“I spent time with both his parents. His mother was very generous with her experience about how her foot became disfigured and the way it happened for her was in the story. I also did her accent, she’s from northern Texas and spent time in Virginia so she had a mutated accent, so there was a lot there to get into that was tangible for me.”

The actress also revealed she doesn’t consider audiences or the likelihood of commercial success when she chooses her film roles.

When asked if she thinks about external factors when reading scripts, she told Moviehole: “No, you can’t, you just have to do it for yourself. I read ‘The Box’ and it spoke to me because of what it was tackling, and knowing Richard Kelly was telling the story was very exciting.”

Empire have released the UK teaser poster for Cameron Diaz’s new movie, The Box. The Box is directed by Richard Kelly who has previously given us Donnie Darko. The cult status which Darko has created means that anything Kelly makes must be worth a watch. It’s based on a book by the author who brought us I am Legend called ‘Button, Button’ which was written by Richard Matheson.

Set in the 1970s, Norma (Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden) are delivered a mysterious box to their door. In the box is a button. If you press the button you get $1 million. Also, someone in the world dies.

It’s scheduled for release 4th December and also stars Frank Langella, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs and Michele Durrett.

The official website for The Box is also now opened,go here to see it, and click the image above to see the poster in the gallery!

In her short life, Suri Cruise has already made friends with A-list stars Will Smith and David and Victoria Beckham.And now Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ adorable three-year-old daughter has a new celebrity pal – Cameron Diaz.

The Charlie’s Angels actress was all smiles as Tom proudly introduced her to the toddler on set of their latest film Wichita yesterday.Just two weeks after filming began on location in Massachusetts, Katie brought their daughter on set to see her famous father in action.

Cameron, 37, chatted away to little Suri, who was dressed in a red polka dot dress.Wichita marks the second time Tom, 47, and Cameron have worked together.

The blonde actress played Tom’s unstable girlfriend Julie in the 2001 thriller Vanilla Sky.The new film, directed by James Mangold, is an action comedy about a small town girl (Cameron) who has a chance encounter with a secret agent, played by Tom.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is to kick off the 40th anniversary season of the children’s TV show “Sesame Street” with a segment encouraging kids to plant gardens and eat healthy food.

Obama, who is planting a fruit and vegetable garden on the grounds of the White House, will appear in the November10 season debut of “Sesame Street” — the educational show for kids that is broadcast in more than 120 countries around the world.

Producers said on Tuesday that Obama will teach the furry “residents” of Sesame Street about the benefits of growing a garden and healthy living, and will show children how to plant tomato, cucumber and lettuce seeds.

“All these seeds need to grow are sun, soil and water. If you eat these healthy foods, you’re going to grow up to be big and strong, like me,” Obama says.

“I know you’re going to like these vegetables, because in addition to being healthy, they really taste great!”

The new season will highlight a two-year science initiative on “Sesame Street” called “My World is Green & Growing.” The show is broadcast on public television in the United States.

Michelle Obama in March broke ground on the first fruit and vegetable garden at the White House since World War Two. The 1,100 sq ft garden will grow some 50 fruits and vegetables for use in the White House kitchen.

Other celebrities due to make “Sesame Street” guest appearances in the 40th season include actresses Cameron Diaz, Eva Longoria-Parker, British comedy actor Ricky Gervais and U.S. basketball star Kobe Bryant.

Variety reports that Paul Dano has signed on to star with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in the upcoming action-comedy from director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line). You might remember Dano from his memorable performances as the preacher rival of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood and as the mute, Nietzsche-reading teen in Little Miss Sunshine. The Mangold movie, formerly titled Wichita and yet to be renamed, involves a partnership between Cruise and Diaz, who play a federal agent and a perky Midwesterner, respectively. According to IMDb’s plot description, they embark on “a whirlwind of globe-hopping adventure and world-changing secrets.” One of these adventures involves the pursuit of Dano’s character, an enigmatic inventor-scientist. Shooting begins in Boston next month, and the movie is scheduled for a July 2, 2010 release.