BACK IN ACTION Director Seth Gordon Was Told Not to "Even Think About" Casting Cameron Diaz
The Netflix action comedy Back in Action has been out for a couple of weeks now, and love it or hate it, fans have been happy to see Cameron Diaz return to the big screen. Diaz is best known for her roles in films like The Mask, My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, The Holiday, and the Shrek and Charlie’s Angels franchises. But she stepped away from acting after starring in the remake of Annie in 2014 alongside Jamie Foxx, to focus on raising her family.
So when her name was brought up by director Seth Gordon (Four Christmases, Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief, Baywatch) as an actress who could lead his next film, the studio quickly shut it down. Gordon explained to The Hollywood Reporter:
“I was told that she wasn’t to be considered: ‘She’s fully retired. Don’t even think about it.’ But Jamie, who is friends with [Diaz] and has known her forever, had the first inkling of a possibility or an openness to reading something. They also share a manager, and the two of them got the script to her.”
Co-written by Gordon and Brendan O’Brien, Back in Action’s premise happened to overlap with Diaz’s 11-year hiatus from the screen, as Matt and Emily left the spy game once Emily discovered she was pregnant mid-mission.
15 years later, they’re drawn back in after utilizing their past skills to defend their daughter in what became a viral moment. Gordon went on to say:
“It’s a really unexpected coincidence that the title and some of the themes and her character’s situation [as a retired spy turned mom] lined up with real life.
“It’s almost as if Back in Action was meant to coax her out of retirement, but I swear it wasn’t. It’s just extraordinary timing and really good fortune and Jamie’s access, frankly.”
It’s cool to see Cameron Diaz return to film, especially a comedy, which she has always had a knack for. I look forward to seeing what other projects she signs onto. Back in Action is available to watch on Netflix.
