No one who was ever at the movies in the late 1990s or early 2000s could ignore Cameron Diaz. The star of Being John Malkovich, There’s Something About Mary and Charlie’s Angels retired from Hollywood eleven years ago to devote herself full time to her family. Thanks to the persuasive skills of Jamie Foxx, she is now back: with the spy comedy Back in action, which has been running on Netflix since January 17th.
Netflix James Bonds: Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx play a couple of agents
Back in Action is about Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx), who are top CIA agents fighting against villains all over the world. After a particularly tough assignment, the couple turns their backs on their careers and decides to dedicate their future to their family. 15 years later, the proud parents are keeping their past a secret from their children. At least until Terrorists with guns show up in front of her house.
Check out the trailer for Back in Action here:
Back In Action – Trailer (German) HD
Cameron Diaz only wanted to return thanks to Jamie Foxx
Foxx and Diaz show great chemistry in Back in Action. And her familiarity can also be felt in the interview when she talks about Children, parents and tough stunts speaking on upturned planes.
Moviepilot: In the film you play spouses who have to hide their secret identities from their children. One of the funniest scenes in the film is where you list all the lies you’ve had to tell over the years. You have children of your own. Do you remember a time when you had to bend the truth a little in order to continue being a good parent?
Cameron Diaz: When children are very young, there are things you don’t need to tell them. You’re not lying, they’re just too young. Over time, they understand what it means to be an adult. But until then, there are a few things you don’t need to know.
Jamie Foxx: You have to be careful. For example, I joke a lot. For example, I once said to my children: “God made wine out of water. And then one day, out of water, Mountain Dew.” Then my daughter said, “Dad, you said that Jesus made Mountain Dew out of water. I told all the other kids and the teacher.” I also have to be careful with my choice of words because I swear a lot. I say the M word a lot [Motherfucker].
One day we’re in the car, she in the back seat. She says, “Shut up, m-word!” And I was like, “Wait, wait, wait. You can’t say something like that.” And she replies, “But you said it!” I called her mother and explained that we need to talk about what words our children use. And she just said “Congratulations! She already said it to all the children in kindergarten.” Today you can no longer lie to children. They have cell phones and all that stuff. They’ll find out.
Cameron Diaz: The idea of the film is that parents had a life before they became parents. And that now makes it difficult for them to be good parents. Before it was all about them, now it’s all about the children. The children find out who their parents were before they were born. Every parent thinks to themselves, “We were so cool before we became parents.” I thought, “I really did a lot of shit.” I hope parents sit on the couch with their children and the children give them a meaningful sideways look: “Who are you anyway?”
Cameron, your last film Annie came out eleven years ago. You’ve given up acting for a while. Jamie Foxx convinced you to come back. How did he convince you?
Cameron Diaz: I’m leaving my family to be on a film set. It’s clear who I would most like to have at my side there. [Deutet auf Jamie Foxx.] This person. Because then I know what I’m getting myself into. And that I’m safe. I knew it would be fun. It also doesn’t hurt that he makes me laugh all day long. So I thought to myself, “If I’m going to come back, it’s going to be with him.”
The best thing about the film is your incredible chemistry. Was there any ritual you went through before a scene to get you in the right mood?
Jamie Foxx: We know each other in a truly unique way. Hard to explain. Sometimes you work with people and then never see them again. Me and Cameron have always gotten along. Whenever we see each other, it’s never forced.
Cameron Diaz: It’s really a relief. I see Jamie as my partner in this film. And it’s very easy to play husband and wife when you see each other as partners. We have known each other for decades. Maybe we don’t hang out all the time, but we’ve known each other since we were kids in the movie business.
The action scenes are incredible. They look like they took a lot of preparation. Which was the hardest to shoot?
Cameron Diaz: The scene on the plane was the hardest for everyone, including our stunt people. The aircraft was mounted on a so-called gimbal. This is a device that can shake and move the plane. When the plane turns upside down, our stunt people were inside and also upside down. We saw their bodies flying around. Some things were animated, but this was real.