Cameron Diaz Was Shocked by Netflix Practices When She Returned to Star in ‘Back in Action’

Cameron Diaz, the Hollywood star of films like The Mask, The Holiday and Charlie’s Angels, has recently returned to the spotlight with the Netflix film Back in Action. Although not many things have changed in eleven years, Diaz was shocked by how different film sets are today: “The level of security of safety you feel as a woman now on set is… I never felt that before this film.”

Diaz recently appeared in the 2025 action comedy Back in Action alongside Jamie Foxx. In the movie, she plays Emily, a CIA operative who gets married to Matt (Foxx), another CIA operative, and after having their cover blown, they decide to retire. When a group of ruthless mercenaries finds them fifteen years later, the couple is forced to go on the run and defend their children.

The actor appeared on Netflix’s “SkipIntro” podcast, where she spoke about Back in Action, her return to the industry after taking an 11-year break to take care of her family. Diaz used the opportunity to talk about her shock at finding the Netflix set to feel “safe.” Diaz also spoke about her unpleasant experience on film sets before her break: “There were always layers and layers of inappropriateness that you just kind of had to put up with.” However, all that has changed and the actor had nothing but good things to say regarding her experience when doing the Netflix film:

“It has changed. It’s not the same. I have never in my entire career had HR come in prior to a movie and talk about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate behavior. And there’s a hotline, which Netflix has, to call anonymously to report any issues that you might be feeling. Wow, that is amazing. The level of security of safety you feel as a woman now on set is… I never felt that before this film.”

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Cameron Diaz’s 8 Funniest Movies, Ranked

The BAFTA nominee has starred in numerous comedies over the years, having worked with some of the funniest directors in Hollywood.

Back in Action was released on January 17, 2025, and the streamer’s statistics show that it had almost 50 million views on opening weekend. However, even though it represented Diaz’s return to the film industry, the film failed to grab the attention of critics, and today, it sits at a 28% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Popcornmeter score (the audience score) is significantly higher at 58%. Per our own Matt Mahler’s review of Back in Action:

Back in Action is a small fish flopping in shallow water. It does not require effort, it isn’t very distinguishable from other small fish, and it is not nourishing. But most people don’t expect, nor want, anything more from the kiddie pool of fun that is Netflix. That’s a sad thing to me, and I wish people demanded more from films. But there are worse ways to spend time in the shallow end than Back in Action, I imagine.

Will Cameron Diaz Make a Full Return to Hollywood?

It’s not confirmed whether Cameron Diaz will return to Hollywood to make more films. Reportedly, her family is still a priority nowadays, and she doesn’t want to make any promises. However, what she has said is that she’s open to making movies that make more sense for her and her family.

It’s also important to add that convincing Diaz to return wasn’t exactly cheap for Netflix. The actor’s paycheck reportedly showed $45 million for a two-film contract. While you think about the bonkers amount of cash Netflix paid Diaz, let’s start thinking about what she could do next. We’re all thinking about The Mask 2, right?

Back in Action

2
/5

Release Date

January 17, 2025

Director

Seth Gordon

Producers

Beau Bauman, Jamie Foxx, Jenno Topping, Sharla Sumpter, Tim Lewis, W. Mark McNair, Brendan O’Brien, Datari Turner

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