When Cameron was cast in The Mask with absolutely no acting experience under her belt, she might have been hired to be a pretty face, but she managed to hold her own against Jim Carrey’s elastic face by taking some intense acting lessons before she hit the big screen. Then, post-Mask, she smartly decided to do some smaller, indie movies before she jumped back into the big leagues.
It’s easy to mock Cameron Diaz. The first image that pops to mind of the leggy blonde is still her bangs stuck straight up in the air held up by unmentionable substances in There’s Something About Mary. She’s made plenty of goofy movies, that’s for sure. But if you give her filmography some thought, you have to admit, the girl’s got taste.
When she voices an animated character, she picks Fiona, from the Shrek series. A character who is badass, funny and popular (not to mention lucrative, nobody said a comediva had to be poor to have a successful career). When she does a gross-out comedy, it’s THE gross-out comedy to define the genre: There’s Something About Mary. When she makes a drama, it’s Being John Malkovich or Vanilla Sky. Even In Her Shoes turned out to be a pretty good flick, all appearances to the contrary.
At the end of the day, if Cameron has chosen a movie, I’m willing to bet it’s going to do what it’s trying to do well. Her film choices over the years may not have been fancy, but they have been consistently fun and funny and, most importantly, they’ve suited Cameron down to the ground. Cameron’s latest flick, Bad Teacher, through not receiving rave reviews, wouldn’t surprise me at all if it were actually a fun movie. And that, my friends, is what we can learn from this famously gorgeous funny lady. Make choices that suit you and don’t worry too much about what other people think. Go boldly, and the world will thank you for it.
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