Cameron Diaz Believes She Was A "Drug Mule" Before Landing "The Mask" Role

Diaz moved to Paris to model in the '90s, though she wasn't so successful with booking gigs.

BYHayley Hynes
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Though some of the biggest names in Hollywood got their start thanks to famous family members already in the industry, others, like Cameron Diaz, come from far less glamourous beginnings.

During a sitdown on the Second Life Podcast, the 49-year-old opened up about life before she got her big break starring alongside Jim Carrey in The Mask, even revealing that there was a point when she might've illegally carried drugs to Morroco without knowing.

Cameron Diaz Believes She Was A "Drug Mule" Before Landing "The Mask" Role
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Back in the '90s, Diaz made the move to Paris after saving enough money, hoping that she could start a modelling career. "I was there a full year and didn't work one day," she admitted to host Hillary Kerr.

"I couldn't book a job to save my life. Then I got one job but, really, I think I was a mule carrying drugs to Morocco – I swear to God."

The mother of one said that she was given a locked suitcase said to be carrying her "costumes," although when she got to the airport she began to panic as she second-guessed the contents.


"I'm this blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in Morocco. I'm wearing torn jeans and platform boots, with my hair down – this is really unsafe. I told them, 'I don't know, it's not mine, I have no idea whose it is."

Upon returning to France, Diaz left the luggage with the authorities. "That was the only job I got in Paris," she said, though her life changed for the better when she was approached by a casting agent in Los Angeles.

Because she had never acted, the San Diego native was hesitant to take on the role of Tina Carlyle in The Mask, but it ultimately led her to act in other classics like Being John MalkovichThere's Something About MaryThe HolidayWhat Happens in Vegas, and of course, Charlie's Angels.

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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.