Page 82 - OCEAN BLUE - SUMMER 2015

THE INTERVIEW

C ameron Diaz was born in San
Diego, California. Her mother
has English, Scottish, Irish, and
German ancestry. Her father
came from a Cuban family of Spanish origin.
Self-described as an adventurous, independent
and tough kid, Diaz left home at 16 and for the
next five years lived in such varied locales as
Japan, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, and Paris.

Returning to California at the age of 21, she
was working as a model when her agency
secured her an audition for the female lead in
The Mask opposite Jim Carrey.

Despite having no previous acting experience,
she got the role and was launched into stardom
virtually overnight as the film became one of
1994's biggest hits.

Diaz turned down subsequent high-
profile roles and spent the next three years
developing her acting skills in character-driven
independent films.

She returned to mainstream films in My Best
Friend’s Wedding where she held her own
against Julia Roberts. She earned full-fledged
star status for her performance in the box office
smash There’s Something About Mary.

“I think that anything that you do, any
accomplishment that you make, you have to
work for. And I’ve worked very hard in the last
ten years of my life, definitely, and I can tell you
that hard work pays off. It’s not just a cliché.”

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