Honestly, if you grew up in the 2000s, you couldn't go to a movie theater or open a magazine without seeing that wide, blue-eyed grin. Cameron Diaz wasn't just another actress. She was the actress. While the 90s gave us her breakout in The Mask, the 2000s were when she basically broke the glass ceiling for what a woman could earn in a town that usually reserved the big checks for guys named Tom or Will.
We’re talking about a decade where she went from a "surfer girl" trope to becoming a $20 million-per-movie powerhouse. It’s wild to look back at. She managed to be the relatable best friend in The Holiday and a lethal agent in Charlie’s Angels at the same time. People loved her because she didn't seem to take the "movie star" thing too seriously. She’d show up to the Kids' Choice Awards in jeans and a T-shirt, looking like she just came from the mall, while her peers were draped in high-stress couture.
Why Cameron Diaz 2000s Career Was A Financial Game Changer
Most people remember the hair gel scene from the 90s, but the real "boss" moves happened right after the Y2K bug failed to end the world. In 2000, Diaz took on the role of Natalie Cook in Charlie’s Angels. It made a ton of money. Like, $264 million worldwide kind of money.
By the time the sequel, Full Throttle, rolled around in 2003, she commanded a $20 million salary. That was a massive deal. At that point, only Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon were really playing in that financial sandbox. She wasn't just a pretty face in a rom-com; she was a bankable action star.
Then there was Shrek. Voice acting used to be where careers went to retire or where actors did a quick favor for a few bucks. Not for Cameron. She voiced Princess Fiona and, alongside Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, negotiated an upfront payment of $10 million for Shrek 2. For about 15 to 18 hours of work in a recording booth. That is peak efficiency. By the third film, she was reportedly pulling in north of $30 million when you factored in the box office backend.
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The Risks That Paid Off (and the Ones That Didn't)
She wasn't just chasing the bag, though. She actually tried to act. In 2001, she did Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise. Critics who usually dismissed her as "just the funny girl" were suddenly using words like "ferociously emotional" and "terrifying." She got Golden Globe and SAG nods for that one.
She followed it up with Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York in 2002. Imagine being on set with Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. It was a huge swing. Some people felt she was a bit out of her depth in a gritty period piece, but it showed she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty.
The Style That Defined a Decade
If you want to understand the Cameron Diaz 2000s aesthetic, you have to look at the red carpets. It was a mess. But a glorious, human mess.
The 2000 Oscars? She wore a sheer black Versace dress with a high slit that showed her underwear. People lost their minds. Today, that’s just a Tuesday on Instagram, but back then, it was "scandalous." Then came the 2002 Oscars. She wore a floral Emanuel Ungaro wrap dress that looked like a very expensive bathrobe, cinched with a necklace she used as a belt.
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She later admitted to makeup artist Gucci Westman that she basically forgot the Oscars were happening that day. She just threw it on and went. That was her whole vibe: effortless, occasionally chaotic, but always authentic. She wasn't a "ruffly girl." She liked clean lines and sporty edges, often pulling stuff from her own closet for her movies. Those famous low-rise Chloe pants she wore in Charlie’s Angels? Those were actually hers.
Living Under the Paparazzi Lens
The 2000s were a brutal time to be a famous woman in Los Angeles. The paparazzi culture was at its most toxic. Cameron dated Jared Leto early in the decade—they were even rumored to be engaged—before they split in 2003.
Then came the Justin Timberlake era. They met at the Kids' Choice Awards in 2003 and stayed together for nearly four years. The tabloids obsessed over the age gap (she was nine years older), but she didn't care. She famously told reporters that it wasn't the first time in history people were drawn to each other for who they were rather than a birth certificate.
The Shift Toward "The Holiday" and Beyond
By the mid-to-late 2000s, Diaz settled into the role of the "Queen of the High-Concept Rom-Com." The Holiday (2006) is now a mandatory Christmas watch for half the planet. Her chemistry with Jude Law was great, sure, but it was her physical comedy—slipping on ice, crying in a way that didn't look "movie pretty"—that made it work.
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She capped the decade with What Happens in Vegas (2008), which grossed over $219 million. Critics hated it. Audiences loved it. It was the classic Cameron Diaz formula: be the hottest person in the room but also the one most likely to spill a drink on themselves.
What We Can Learn From the Diaz Blueprint
Looking back, her 2000s run wasn't just about movies. It was about autonomy.
- Know your worth: She was one of the first to realize that "percentage of the gross" was better than a flat fee. Look at Bad Teacher (granted, that was 2011, but the groundwork was laid in the 00s)—she took a $1 million salary and turned it into $42 million by betting on herself.
- Diversify early: She didn't just stay in one lane. She did animation, indie drama, action, and broad comedy.
- Be okay with being "too much": Whether it was her laugh or her "inappropriate" outfits, she stayed herself.
If you’re looking to channel that 2000s energy today, focus on the "don't care" attitude. The 2000s were about a specific kind of freedom before everything became so curated on social media.
To really dive into the nostalgia, go back and watch Being John Malkovich. It’s from 1999, but it set the stage for her 2000s dominance. She’s completely unrecognizable with frizzy hair and no makeup. It’s the perfect reminder that beneath the "It Girl" exterior, there was always a serious artist willing to disappear.
Next time you’re scrolling through Netflix and see a 2000s rom-com, look for her name. You’ll notice the lighting is a little brighter, the jokes are a little sharper, and the leading lady feels like someone you actually know. That was the Cameron Diaz magic.
Start your own "Diaz Marathon" with Charlie's Angels for the action, Vanilla Sky for the drama, and The Holiday for the vibes. It’s a masterclass in how to own a decade.