Cameron Diaz has expressed her excitement about the possibility of starring in a sequel to her iconic 1994 film The Mask, but there’s one condition: Jim Carrey has to return as well.
In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, the 52-year-old actress shared her thoughts on the potential for a follow-up to the beloved comedy. Diaz said, “If Jim’s on board, I mean, I’ve been riding those coattails from day one.” Her remarks came as she promoted her new Netflix film Back in Action, where she stars alongside Jamie Foxx.
Diaz’s comments come just weeks after her The Mask co-star Jim Carrey hinted at the possibility of a sequel. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Carrey, 62, revealed that he would consider a return to the role if the right idea came along. “Oh gosh, you know, it has to be the right idea. If somebody had the right idea, I guess…” Carrey said, leaving the door open for future discussions.
The Mask, directed by Chuck Russell, was a box-office hit in 1994. The film follows Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey), a mild-mannered bank teller who discovers a magical wooden mask that transforms him into the chaotic, green-faced trickster with the ability to shapeshift and alter his surroundings. Stanley uses his newfound powers to save his love interest, Tina Carlyle (Diaz), from the menacing mobster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene), while also evading the police.
Despite both Carrey and Diaz previously announcing their retirements from acting, both have returned to the industry in recent years. Carrey, who said he was retiring from acting in 2022 while promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2, clarified that he was really looking for “power-resting.” He explained, “I said I’d like to retire, but I think I was talking more about power-resting. Because as soon as a good idea comes your way, or a group of people you really enjoy working with, things tend to change.”
For Diaz, her return to Hollywood came after a 10-year break. She had previously joked about being semi-retired, but it was her collaboration with Foxx in Back in Action that brought her back to the screen. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show on January 17, Diaz shared, “I had 10 years of not paying attention to anything; not accepting any advances, and then I got this script and thought that maybe it was time. If I was going to leave my family for 10 hours a day, I wanted to do it with the most talented man in the entertainment business.”
Diaz added, “It is a privilege to make films, and we are all so lucky to do what we do. That the door was even open for me after a decade was amazing. I loved those 10 years for me and my family, but I thought, ‘If I let this go away, if I don’t engage again, and if I don’t give it a chance, I am a fool.’ It might be the beginning of something, but it’s here now and I am grateful for it.”
As fans eagerly anticipate more from both Diaz and Carrey, the prospect of a The Mask sequel remains an exciting possibility — one that would be sure to bring back the magic that made the original a classic.
