Cameron Diaz Is Working on Something New — But She's Keeping it a Secret

I started [experiencing fame] when I was 22, so 25 years ago — that’s a long time. The way I look at it is that I’ve given more than half of my life to the public. I feel it’s OK for me to take time for myself now to reorganize and choose how I want to come [back] into the world. If I decide to. I don’t miss performing. Right now I’m looking at the landscape of wellness and all that. But whatever I do, it has to be something I’m passionate about — something that just feels effortless.

At this point, I’ve done so much, I feel fulfilled with the adventures I’ve sought out in my life. I’m in a great place, and the world is so different now too. The mid-1990s are an era that will never exist again. I’m just so grateful that I got to witness and partake in it. I look at technology now, and it’s unbelievable. Sure, you can post anything at any time on Instagram and you’re able to control your own narrative, and that’s incredible. But you’re tied to your phone, and you’re so dependent on it. We’ve exported our entire brain capacity into this little thing we carry around in our hand. We’ve lost touch with our humanity and our humanness, and I think it’s really healthy to not have to be accountable for every minute of our day.

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It’s fun to just not have anybody know what I’m up to. Because my time is all mine. I’m not selling any films, and because I’m not selling anything, I don’t have to give anybody anything. I’m not doing this anymore. I’m living my life.

You know, I think the 40s are the best decade. You just get to be real with yourself, and you can also make necessary changes because you have the experience of looking back on four decades. Looking at patterns and seeing what things really work. You get to let go of giving a shit about anything. You’re done! Don’t care. I really don’t. It’s such a relief.

You also start to go through changes on a physical level and realize there’s nothing you can do about them. Then you get to look back at pictures and think, “Oh my god, I hated myself at that moment, but look how young I was.” Or, “Oh, wait, I have, hopefully, another 40 years of looking back at pictures not knowing how young I was.” I know right now I’m the youngest I’ll ever be. I’m a 47-year-old woman who’s like, “Hell, yeah!” I’m fine with it. I’m grateful for every moment I have. I just want to build better, stronger friendships with the people who are in it with me. Of course, that includes my husband [musician Benji Madden]. Getting married to him was the best thing that ever happened to me. My husband’s the best. He’s the greatest human being, and he’s my great partner. Marriage is certainly hard, and it’s a lot of work. You need somebody who’s willing to do the work with you, because there’s no 60-40 in marriage. It’s 50-50, period. All the time.

I don’t know if I was ready [when I got married], but I knew Benji was special. He’s just a good man. There’s no bullshit. It’s really refreshing. I’m really grateful for him. I like doing my own thing. I like creating, so I’m just looking for the project that makes the most sense for me now. I have some things brewing, but it’s a little too early to talk about them. I love everything that my girlfriends are doing, like what Gwyneth Paltrow has done with Goop and my sister-in-law Nicole Richie with her House of Harlow.

Overall, I feel lucky that I got to be in the world and explore it when it was a different place. It was a real privilege.

How I’d describe myself in three words:

In 2008 — Hardworking, Younger, Transformed

Today — Focused, Content, Blessed

Photographed by Camilla Armbrust on June 19 in Los Angeles. Styling: Rebecca Ramsey. Hair: Lona Vigi for Starworks Artists. Makeup: Mélanie Inglessis for Forward Artists. Production: Kelsey Stevens Productions. Location: Casa Perfect, Los Angeles.