Since her first film role in 1994′s “The Mask” opposite Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz has been become one of Hollywood’s most successful leading ladies, entertaining audiences in such quirky comedies as 1997′s “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and 1998′s “There’s Something About Mary” and earning street cred in such dramas as 2001′s “Vanilla Sky” and 2002′s “Gangs of New York.” In 2003, she struck salary gold, becoming the third Hollywood actress after Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon to receive a $20 million paycheck – for “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”
Her latest film, the drama “My Sister’s Keeper,” teams her with Jason Patric, Abigail Breslin and Alec Baldwin in a different kind of role, portraying a mom who goes to extreme measures to keep her leukemia-stricken daughter alive. Diaz may soon be reunited with Tom Cruise, her “Vanilla Sky” co-star, in James Mangold’s action film “The Wichita Project”; and she’s attached to the Zach Braff-directed comedy “Swingles,” currently in development. Just before receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the native San Diegan spoke with the Hollywood Reporter.
Q. You’re known for broad comedies. What brought you to “My Sister’s Keeper”?
A. It was a story that just touched me. I liked that (my character) Sara wasn’t obvious. I didn’t know exactly where she was coming from at first but then I realized that it was pretty simple to understand: She’s just a woman who’s trying to keep her child alive. We can all relate to that in some way – how far we would go for the ones we love.
Q. Do you see yourself transitioning into more roles like this?
A. I’ve done a number of dramatic films over the years, such as “Gangs of New York” and “Vanilla Sky,” and a slew of smaller films nobody would have seen but that weren’t just comedies. For me, it’s all about rhythm. It’s not something I plan, it’s just questioning “What am I feeling?” Recently, I was feeling that I would love to do something fun and big. I haven’t done an action film in a long time and “The Wichita Project” fits the bill.
Q. How about a musical?
A. I would love to do a musical. I don’t sing very well – honestly I’ve never worked on it – but I believe that if you work on anything hard enough, you can get to at least someplace where you can fudge it a little bit!
Q. Do you dance?
A. I do. I love dancing. I’ve never been trained, but choreography is something that comes pretty easily for me. I love musicals. When I was a child, I loved watching films where people were dancing. I loved Fred Astaire.
