TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

In reality, Cameron Diaz’s career trajectory also seems too good to be true. Raised in Long Beach, California, a chance meeting at the age of sixteen led to her being signed on as a model with a top modelling agency. She began working professionally as a model, a job which took her to Japan, Europe and Australia. On returning home she went back to high school to complete her basic education. But fate had already led her down a path from which there was no turning back. When Cameron went to audition for a small role in The Mask, she ended up landing the lead role as Jim Carrey’s love interest. The Mask became a hit, and proved to be an impressive debut.

Other great roles started coming her way. She starred opposite Bill Paxton in the black comedy The Last Supper. In She’s The One she played the role of a cunning and entrancing woman. The critically accalimed Feeling Minnesota saw her as a down-and-out woman opposite Keanu Reeves, and in Head Above Water she played Harvey Keitel’s wife. Her most recent release has been A Life Less Ordinary opposite Ewan McGregor.

Interestingly, Cameron was in the process of participating in her best friend’s wedding in reality, during the making of My Best Friend’s Wedding. Her portrayal of the girl who is plagued by insecurity when she meets her fiance’s gorgeous and smart best friend has been widely appreciated, particularly because she was able to hold her own against the dazzling screen presence of Julia Roberts. For the role, director Hogan needed a radiant, strong actress not only in terms of screen presence but also in terms of the plot, where two women fight it out to win the man they love. At the same time, he wanted someone who would seem completely unmanipulative and innocent, as compared to Julia Roberts’ scheming character. Cameron fitted the bill perfectly, and My Best Friend’s Wedding has proved to be another big winner for her, in a career that started with a bang.