From her breakthrough in "The Mask" to her iconic comedy roles and heartwarming performances, we're diving into the moments that made Cameron Diaz a Hollywood sweetheart. Join us as we celebrate the charm, talent, and unforgettable scenes that captured our hearts!
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00:00You, want to dance on stage?
00:03Us?
00:04Yes!
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at moments that made us love Cameron Diaz.
00:10That was terrible! Terrible!
00:16Number 10. Coming out of retirement.
00:18For almost 25 years, Diaz was among the most recognizable and bankable stars in Hollywood.
00:24Following her performance as Miss Hannigan in 2014's Annie, Diaz exited the limelight.
00:29Fast forward another four years, and Diaz confirmed that she had retired,
00:33wanting to reclaim her life and focus on building her family.
00:37Everybody would be like, would you like to have a note?
00:39You know, there's this thing going, I don't care.
00:41Would you like to join us? Nope.
00:43And then people stopped asking.
00:45And then I was just free to just kind of like, I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm living my life.
00:51Diaz gradually resurfaced, guest judging RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars in 2022.
00:57Later that year, Diaz announced her first acting role in nearly a decade.
01:02She kicked off 2025 re-teaming with Annie co-star Jamie Foxx
01:06for the aptly titled Netflix film Back in Action.
01:09Look, everything's going to be fine.
01:11Everything's going to be fine? Yes.
01:13Dad just shot up a truck, Jerry rigged a flamethrower,
01:15and I'm pretty sure you just killed that chick with your bare hands.
01:18Again, I did not kill anyone, I just rendered her unconscious.
01:21That is not a chick, that is a woman that your mother almost murdered,
01:23and you would refer to her as such.
01:25Diaz's comeback is just getting started,
01:27being under contract for another Netflix movie.
01:30She's also joining the Apple comedy movie Outcome
01:33and gearing up to voice Princess Fiona again in Shrek 5.
01:36What's this? That's my chimichanga stand.
01:39Um, no cookie, we won't be needing that.
01:42Trust me, Fiona, y'all are going to be really hungry after this ambush, okay?
01:46Now go and finish your little speech.
01:48Number nine, hosting Saturday Night Live.
01:51Diaz has dropped by Studio 8H several times over the years,
01:55hosting on four occasions.
01:57Her first stint was in 1998,
01:59when she appeared in one of the decade's most underrated sketches,
02:02Jingleheimer Junction.
02:04Hey, Junction Gang, how are you all today?
02:06Better than ever.
02:08We met a new friend, and he's going to join the Junction Gang.
02:11A new friend? I didn't hear anything about a new friend.
02:14Well, why didn't you meet him?
02:16Hey, new friend, come on down.
02:19Diaz played Katie Kindness,
02:21a member of a kids' show that tackles some adult subject matter
02:24with the arrival of Will Ferrell's Fred Friendship.
02:27We're not allowed to spell out why.
02:29She returned in 2002, showing off some cheeky choreography,
02:33and in 2005, bonding with the female cast members
02:36over those awkward high school years.
02:38What are you guys talking about?
02:40Oh, uh, Cameron's claiming she was homely in high school.
02:42Oh, boy.
02:43Beth, could you, uh, fire up that photo of me
02:45from the Upper Derby Community Service Corps?
02:49LAUGHTER
02:53Case closed, my lovelies.
02:55Case closed.
02:57Diaz most recently hosted in 2014,
03:00with highlights including an Annie parody
03:02and the Thanksgiving ballad Back Home Ballers.
03:05With Cameron's comeback,
03:06here's hoping she finally joins the Five-Timers Club.
03:09And as a nice gesture, I bought all the tickets.
03:12Psych, not a chance.
03:13My dad freakin' did it.
03:14Number eight, being a bad teacher.
03:17Casting is crucial in a comedy like Bad Teacher.
03:20Miss Halsey.
03:21Hey.
03:22I'm impressed.
03:23Thanks, I've been working out.
03:24What a turnout.
03:25Oh, yeah, and the kids are just having a blast.
03:28On paper, Elizabeth Halsey isn't just a bad teacher.
03:31She's an all-around horrible human being.
03:34With Diaz in the role, though, we oddly root for Elizabeth,
03:38even as she cheats, steals, lies, manipulates,
03:41and frames rival co-workers.
03:43Then, if there's time, maybe she'll help a student.
03:46In inappropriate yet effective ways.
03:49It's a nice thing you did.
03:51I don't know what you're talking about.
03:53Really?
03:54Because I couldn't help but notice
03:56that you're not wearing a bra.
03:58And those kids over there are playing with one.
04:01The film doesn't betray its mean-spirited tone
04:04by having Elizabeth do a 180.
04:06Yet her brutal honesty doesn't go unappreciated,
04:09showing students that the world is cynical
04:11and doesn't always reward people who play by the rules.
04:14Elizabeth also learns that even if life isn't what you envisioned,
04:18you can still make the best of your situation
04:20and grow, ever so slightly.
04:22Hey, you and the cape.
04:24You're up first. Let's go.
04:41Okay, where do I want to go?
04:43By myself at Christmas.
04:47By myself depressed at Christmas.
04:49Becoming a Christmas staple for many,
04:51this Nancy Meyers rom-com sees Diaz as Amanda
04:54trade places with Winslet's Iris across the pond for the holiday.
04:58Diaz is a delightful fish out of water
05:00as a workaholic from the West Coast
05:02adjusting to quieter, smaller, and colder living conditions.
05:05When Jude Law suddenly drops by your doorstep,
05:08the scenery change immediately improves.
05:11This whole knowing that I'll never see you again thing is kind of exciting.
05:15I mean, this is what a vacation's supposed to be, right?
05:17You're supposed to vacate your life to the unexpected.
05:20Meyers thought Diaz brought a Goldie Hawn quality to the role,
05:23taking Amanda to another level
05:25through her physical timing and improvisation skills.
05:28A notable unscripted moment comes towards the end
05:30when Amanda decides to extend her visit,
05:33running back to the cottage in heels.
05:35Diaz will make you laugh,
05:37and you might cry along with Amanda in the end.
05:53Diaz voicing a fairytale princess doesn't seem like a stretch.
05:57Princess Fiona even shares a resemblance to Diaz...
06:00initially.
06:01That said,
06:02Fiona is more than meets the eye,
06:04not only being a skilled martial artist,
06:06but an ogre by night.
06:22Throughout four films,
06:23we see Fiona change in more ways than one.
06:26Fiona's happy ending isn't permanently becoming quote-unquote beautiful,
06:30but rather being with her true love and true to herself.
06:35We're not sure if ogres are technically human,
06:37but Diaz certainly brings humanity to the character.
06:40In addition to infusing Fiona with empathy,
06:43Diaz allowed her freak flag to fly during the recording sessions.
06:46A couple of Diaz's actual burps can be heard in the movies,
06:50some of which were not in the script.
06:52I'm a princess!
06:53I'm a princess!
06:54I'm a princess!
06:55I'm a princess!
06:56I'm a princess!
06:57I'm a princess!
06:58I'm a princess!
06:59I'm a princess!
07:00I'm a princess!
07:01I'm a princess!
07:02I'm a princess!
07:03I'm a princess!
07:05Thanks.
07:06She's as nasty as you are.
07:09You know,
07:11you're not exactly what I expected.
07:13Well,
07:14maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them.
07:21Good morning, angels.
07:22Good morning, Charlie.
07:24Dylan, Alex, Natalie,
07:25I hope you're rested and ready for your next assignment.
07:28Diaz, Barrymore and Lou were far from unknowns
07:31when they were cast in the cinematic reboot of Charlie's Angels.
07:34That explosive 2000s blockbuster and its sequel
07:37catapulted all three to another frontier of fame, however.
07:40While Diaz had her standout moments as the adorkably badass Natalie,
07:44the best moments in both movies focus on the angels as a unit.
07:50Ah,
07:52the angels' ass-kicking pose.
07:54I have to admit, seeing the three of you like that
07:56does give me this little twinge of nostalgia for the old days.
08:00You never get the sense that one is trying to upstage the other
08:03as the angels dish out punches, jokes and innuendos in unison.
08:07The camaraderie on screen reflects the enduring friendship
08:10that formed behind the scenes.
08:12Lou, you're not leaving.
08:13No, of course you guys.
08:15I get to kick butt every single day of the week with my two best friends.
08:18You think I'm getting that up?
08:20No!
08:21Two decades after the first film,
08:23Diaz and Lou were among Barrymore's first guests on her talk show.
08:27Although Diaz was there virtually,
08:29the angels remain a close-knit team.
08:32We have Charlie's Angels as our sort of backdrop
08:36that brought us together,
08:38but then we get to fill in all of life together
08:42in real moments, which I just so appreciate.
08:48When Julia Roberts' Julianne realizes her true feelings
08:51for her betrothed best friend,
08:53she decides to stop his wedding.
08:55Diaz plays the bride-to-be Kimmy,
08:57who would be the villain in any other rom-com from this era.
09:00Kimmy is impossible to dislike though,
09:03asking Jules to be her maid of honor
09:05because she knows how much her friendship means to the groom.
09:08This just makes everything so perfect.
09:11From the day I met Michael,
09:12all I've heard is Julianne this and Julianne that.
09:16I've never had a sister.
09:18The only negative thing we can say about Kimmy
09:20is that her singing could use some fine-tuning.
09:23Even then, she steals the show on karaoke night.
09:26Like it's summer!
09:37As cheerful as Kimmy is,
09:39she isn't afraid to tear into Jules
09:41upon learning of her deceit.
09:43Yet Kimmy is also quick to forgive
09:45after Jules owns up to her mistakes,
09:47with everyone getting the ending they deserve.
09:49I woke up and I see
09:51that the world is just as it should be.
10:00For my best friend
10:04has won the best woman.
10:15Hi, yeah, I want to place an ad.
10:17Okay, ever want to be someone else?
10:19No, that's the ad,
10:20but we can talk about you in a minute.
10:22Lottie Schwartz was the last major character
10:24to be cast in Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich.
10:27Catherine Keener suggested Cameron Diaz,
10:29who had risen to fame playing glamorous characters.
10:32As such, Diaz might have seemed like an unusual choice
10:35to play a modest, frizzy-haired introvert
10:37who receives more affection from her animals
10:39than her husband.
10:40Yet Jones not only noticed Diaz's range and energy,
10:43but could see that she understood the character.
10:46I'm scared.
10:49You don't have to do this, you know.
10:54No.
10:56No, I-I want to go.
10:58Lottie perhaps goes through the most significant change
11:01after experiencing the world through Malkovich's eyes.
11:03At first repressed, Lottie is awakened
11:06to the person who's been trying to get out,
11:08embarking on a journey of self-discovery.
11:10For her layered performance,
11:12Diaz received nominations from the SAG Awards,
11:15BAFTAs, and Golden Globes.
11:17I've been going over and over my experience last night, Craig.
11:23It was amazing.
11:27There's something about Mary brought together
11:29several talents on the cusp of superstardom,
11:31including Diaz as the titular bombshell.
11:34While this comedy solidified Diaz's A-lister status,
11:37it easily could have been career poison.
11:39I just want you to be happy, Mary.
11:42But I'd be happiest with you.
11:44The moment that gave Diaz the most pause
11:47was naturally the most iconic.
11:49You know the one.
11:50Mary shows up for a date with Ben Stiller's Ted,
11:53mistaking something dangling from his ear for hair gel.
11:56Yeah.
11:57Great.
11:58I can use that.
11:59No, no, no, you don't have to.
12:01I just ran out.
12:05Diaz was totally on board,
12:07although she got cold feet shortly after.
12:09She ultimately committed to the scene,
12:11knowing its shock value would be balanced with laughs and heart.
12:15Diaz was the key to making this scene
12:17and the film as a whole work,
12:19winning the New York Film Critics Circle Award
12:21for Best Actress.
12:22Have you ever thought about, uh,
12:24maybe moving back up to Rhode Island?
12:26I thought about it,
12:27but I got too much of a good thing going on here.
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12:50With Jim Carrey playing the mask,
12:52everyone else could have been upstaged.
12:54Yet all eyes were on Cameron Diaz in her first film role.
13:07Ain't I good to you?
13:11Coming from a modeling background,
13:13Diaz looked the part of a gorgeous nightclub singer.
13:16What made Diaz an overnight star
13:18was the charm, charisma and nuance
13:20that she brought to the role.
13:21For all the comedic hijinks,
13:23the film does take time for a sweet romance
13:25as Diaz's Tina Carlisle falls for the only nice guy in her life.
13:29Sharing a sunset with me.
13:32For being the only guy who treated me like a person
13:35and not some sort of party favor.
13:41For being any kind of romantic.
13:43Even a hopeless one.
13:45Critics praised Diaz's performance,
13:47with Gene Siskel saying she was worthy
13:49of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
13:52Although the Academy didn't notice,
13:54audiences did,
13:55with Diaz quickly becoming one of the most
13:57in-demand actresses in the business.
13:59You know, it sort of looks like...
14:02A young woman riding bareback.
14:05Sort of a...
14:06Lady Godiva or something.
14:09Or she.
14:11What do you see, Mr. Ipkiss?
14:14What's your favorite Cameron Diaz moment?
14:16Let us know in the comments.
14:17I mean, you didn't exactly ask me out, but...
14:22You did say you loved me.
14:25So I'm thinking I've got a date.
14:28Do you agree with our picks?
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