Cameron Diaz names the most cherished role of her career: “That film just stands on its own”
Which movie comes to mind when you think of Cameron Diaz? To some, she’ll always be remembered for her unfortunate mishap in There’s Something About Mary. Animation fans recognise her as the voice of Princess Fiona in the ‘Shrek’ franchise. How about some of her dramatic roles, like Vanilla Sky opposite Tom Cruise? Or Gangs of New York, where she shared the screen with Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and her very own dodgy Irish accent?
Whatever first comes to mind with Diaz, it’s impossible to deny that she is one of the biggest stars of the 21st century. Even though she took a decade-long break from acting, her body of work remains seriously impressive. Choosing a favourite from such a long list of hits must be like picking which finger you’d rather have removed. However, the star did just that during an interview with Total Film.
The publication asked Diaz which of her films she thinks she is likely to revisit decades down the line, which got her thinking about the early days of her career. “I remember when I did The Mask, everybody kept asking me where do you see yourself in 10 years? What kind of films do you want to be making, do you want to be acting? And my answer is the same now as it was then. I just want to be happy,” she said. “But, looking back, y’know, I loved Being John Malkovich because I think of all my work that film just stands on its own and doesn’t fall into any genre. It was such a great, fun experience.”
Being John Malkovich is the 1999 debut feature from Spike Jonze. It’s the insane, genre-defying story of Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), a street puppeteer desperately in need of cash. One day, his life changes forever when he discovers a mysterious door that leads directly into the mind of the actor John Malkovich, played brilliantly off-key by himself. Diaz plays Lotte, Craig’s wife, who uses the portal to experience what it would be like to be a man.
The movie not only introduced an entirely new generation of fans to the titular actor, but also showed that Diaz was capable of being more than just eye candy in a romantic comedy. Her performance as the neurotic, wild-haired Lotte caught a lot of people off-guard. It led to a brand new phase in her career, resulting in more dramatic roles in Any Given Sunday and the aforementioned Gangs of New York and Vanilla Sky.
One of the many impacts the movie had on pop culture was the perceived relationship between Diaz and Jonze. It has often been speculated that their closeness on the set of this movie was what led to the end of the director’s marriage to fellow filmmaker Sofia Coppola. There is a long-standing rumour that a character in Coppola’s film Lost in Translation, a ditzy blonde actress played by Anna Faris, was meant as a dig at Diaz, though this has often been denied.
After all the mainstream success she’s had since its release, it’s easy to forget that Cameron Diaz was even in Being John Malkovich. For her, though, it is clearly a treasured memory, possibly because it played a significant role in generating said success.
