Cameron Diaz Opens Up About Returning to Acting After 8 Years, This Time as a Working Mom

Diaz is returning to the big screen in Back in Action, her first role in eight years and since becoming mom to daughter Raddix, 2

Cameron Diaz. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Cameron Diaz is easing back into acting, this time as the mom of a toddler.

On Monday, the Vanilla Sky actress, 49, opened up about her return to acting after an eight-year hiatus in an interview with CBS Saturday Morning. The star told co-host Dana Jacobson that she missed her craft during her time away.

"Making movies is a particular skill set that is fun to exercise and be a part of," Diaz shared. "But yeah, it's a different lifestyle. And you kind of have to be ready to do that."

In her time away from acting, Diaz married Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden, 43, and the two welcomed daughter, Raddix, in December 2019. The actress noted that motherhood has "definitely" changed her.

Asked what the star enjoys the most about being a mom, she replied, "I think just being able to have influence on a child that's developing."

"All mothers have that moment where you're watching your child and they're doing something the first time and you're like, 'I remember doing that!' " she explained. "It's really cool!"

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Cameron Diaz Opens Up About ‘Deep Personal Healing’ and How She's Supported by Husband Benji Madden. Getty Images

Her return to acting also means finding balance as a working mom.

"Everybody only has 100 percent and you always have to figure out how you're going to divide that 100 percent to spread it to all that parts of your life that matter," she said.

Diaz had stepped away from the spotlight after making the 2014 remake of the classical musical Annie in order to focus on "parts of my life that I wasn't touching," she said in an interview last year.

Earlier this month, an insider close to Diaz's family told PEOPLE that Madden "encouraged her to unretire," adding that Madden "is very excited for her."

A film source also revealed to PEOPLE that her Annie co-star Jamie Foxx "pursued" her for the Netflix action-comedy Back in Action.

"When this project came along and she was pursued by Jamie Foxx, who she has known and worked with for years, she decided to go for it," the source shared.

David M. Benett/WireImage

In May, Diaz opened up about mom life in a chat with Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show. During the interview, Diaz shared the mental checklist she goes through when her toddler is being trying.

"Did she eat? Is she tired? What time is it? When was the last time she ate? When did she nap? You just kind of start there, and you go, 'What just happened? Is there something she's trying to communicate to me?' " Diaz explained.

"And I feel like as a parent, my job is to just help her find the words to her emotions, her experience, what she's going through and be able to help her identify that and move through it," she said.

"But you know what's also really imperative — to repair. Like if you do blow up, just to repair that and say, 'Oh my God, mommy lost her s—' And, 'I didn't mean to say that to you. If I hurt your feelings or if I upset you, I just want you to know that mommy's human too.' "