Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Cameron Diaz turns 42 today. 42! Can you believe that one? Though we’re still recovering form those Sex Tape promos (because no one actually paid money to see that, right?), it’s worth a look back at Diaz’s serious roles, where she’s truly at her best. It’s easy to discredit the perky blonde who we fell in love with in mindless comedies like There’s Something About Mary and The Sweetest Thing, but all hair gel aside: Diaz has some undeniable chops. Here, we rank her most intense dramatic roles.
'In Her Shoes' (2005)
Diaz plays party girl Maggie in this adaptation of Jennifer Weiner’s novel about two sisters who have nothing in common except one thing: their shoe size. Diaz gave an arguably Oscar-worthy performance in the dramedy alongside Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine and threw audiences for a loop after they just heard her voice as the goofy Princess Fiona. [GoWatchIt]
'My Sister's Keeper' (2009)
Diaz has been around the block as far as comedies and dramas go, but she shines the most in novel adaptations. Diaz plays Sara, mother of two girls, in this film based on Jodi Picoult’s novel. Sara, a distressed mother who’s watching her oldest daughter, Kate, slowly die from leukemia, obsessively leads a campaign to save her with her other daughter’s (Abigail Breslin) organs. [GoWatchIt]
'The Box' (2009)
Diaz took on the role of curious housewife Norma Lewis in Richard Kelly’s sci-fi drama, The Box. Norma debates pushing the magic button on the box dropped off by an unnamed mysterious man. After she pushes it, her and her family will get a million dollars, but someone somewhere in the world will die. Her complex character’s choices were the driving force of the film. [GoWatchIt]
'The Counselor' (2013)
It’s quite possible that the only reason people saw this lackluster ensemble drama was because they heard about Diaz’s infamous windshield scene. Crazy car sex aside, Diaz was the rock that held the Cormac McCarthy flop together with her consistency as a manipulative sadist. Even her character’s name, Malkina, is rooted in the term for “evil female cat”. [GoWatchIt]
'Gangs of New York' (2002)
Diaz plays Jenny Everdeane, an expert pickpocket, in the Martin Scorsese period drama. Everdeane is somewhat of a villainess, playing opposing sides against one another and proving to be the foil of larger operations. Though Daniel Day-Lewis received all of the acting praise in his role as Bill the Butcher, Diaz stole the show every time she was on screen. [GoWatchIt]
'Being John Malkovich' (1999)
As googly-eyed, bi-curious Lotte Schwatz, any previous idea we had about Cameron Diaz as a perky, perfect blonde went completely out the window in Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman’s supernatural romance. Though the role was more on the comedic spectrum, her goofiness had merit and her love for Maxine (Catherine Keener) was undeniable. [GoWatchIt]
'She's the One' (1996)
Coming off her success in The Mask, Diaz plays the icy Heather in the Ed Burns comedy about finding love in the oddest of places. After ditching Mickey (Burns) and taking him for everything he was worth, she secretly started up a relationship with his douchey brother, Francis (Michael McGlone), before finding a sugar daddy to satisfy her needs. [GoWatchIt]
'Vanilla Sky'
Our hearts broke for Diaz in her role as Julie Gianni. Diaz is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it must have sucked to lose out to Penélope Cruz. When Julie hears that her boyfriend David (Tom Cruise) has moved on to greener pastures, she attempts to kill both of them by crashing her car. Only David didn’t die. [GoWatchIt]
'Any Given Sunday' (1999)
Diaz plays ruthless team owner Christina Pagniacci in the Oliver Stone football drama, Any Given Sunday. After inheriting the Miami Sharks, who are in shambles, head coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) is on her last nerve. Diaz played the perfect ice queen. [GoWatchIt]
'The Invisible Circus' (2001)
Though this novel adaptation bombed rather hard, this is one of Diaz’s first cracks at an independent drama. She plays the late Faith O’Connor, who we learn about through flashbacks of her younger sister, Phoebe (Jordana Brewster) as she explores the reasoning behind Faith’s suicide. [GoWatchIt]
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