The Changing Roles of Cameron Diaz

4 months ago 24th Jun 11:13

Throughout her career you can't say that Cameron Diaz has stuck to one genre of movie mixing comedy, drama and the big budget blockbuster.

She returns to the silver screen this week, having not made a movie since What Happens In Vegas, with My Sister's Keeper, an adaptation of a Jodi Picoult novel.

Diaz made her breakthrough on The Mask back in 1994 as Tina Carlyle, everyone remembers that redress moment as she set tongues wagging and pulses racing, it's fair to say that she has never looked back.

She worked steadily for a couple of years but it soon became clear that comedy really was her thing and the end of the nineties really saw her establish herself in this genre.

My Best Friend's Wedding set the ball rolling in 1997 but it was There's Something About Mary and that hair gel moment that cemented her as one of Hollywood's most promising talents.

It was drama next for the young actress as she worked alongside John Cusack and filmmaker Spike Jonze for Being John Malkovich before moving onto Any Given Sunday with Al Pacino.

The noughties brought major mainstream success for the actress kicking off with big budget movie Charlie's Angels, an adaptation of the hit TV show. The film grossed over $264 million at the box office and was considered a hit.

Animation movie Shrek was next for the actress as she lent her voice to the character Princess Fiona. The film grossed in excess of $484 million two sequels followed which surpassed that and Shrek has become one of the most successful animation franchises of all time.

By 2002 she had caught the eye of filmmaker Martin Scorsese and she was cast alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, missing out on both.

In recent years she has had continuing box office success with the likes of In Her Shoes, The Holiday and most recently What Happens In Vegas.

But this week she returns to the drama genre with My Sister's Keeper. After their daughter is stricken with leukaemia, a couple conceives a younger sister who can provide a donor match, but the family is torn apart when, after years of medical procedures, the healthy younger sibling sues her parents for the right to decide how her body is used.

Also on the horizon for the actress is The Box, which is currently awaiting release, and Shrek Forever After which should be released next year.

My Sister's Keeper is released 26th June.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw