Like Justin Bieber says, never say never! In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Cameron Diaz said she didn’t think she would get married after age 40.
The Other Woman actress, 43, was asked to share “something new” she has tried in recent years that took her by surprise, and Diaz answered that it was exchanging vows with Benji Madden.
“I got married last year,” Diaz replied. In the first marriage for both, Diaz and the Good Charlotte rocker, 37, tied the knot in January 2015, after less than eight months of dating. “That was the biggest thing I’ve done in my 40s, and it opened me up in different ways. It’s pretty awesome. I didn’t think it was something I’d do, and I don’t know if I’d have done it if I hadn’t met my husband. It was a surprise.”
In her twenties and thirties, Diaz famously dated a slew of high-profile men including Justin Timberlake, Jared Leto and Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez. Marriage wasn’t the only big transition she has faced since celebrating her 40th birthday.
The Longevity Book author told Bazaar that she’s shocked by how her body, her metabolism and physiology have changed. “Your body changes in so many little ways. It doesn’t react the same way that it used to,” she shared. “I don’t get the results that I used to as easily as I once did. Now I look at myself and I realize, ‘Oh, right. I’m in this time now in my life where I have to be thoughtful. If I slack off, things don’t come back so easily. I have to be committed.'”
The Annie actress admitted that she believes in “dressing your age” — though her perception of age is slightly different. “Even when you’re a certain age, it’s all a matter of how you present yourself, how old your spirit is, and where you are in your life,” she said. “Some 50-year-olds are still 35. It’s about expression and what they can pull off.”
Just don’t expect her to wear this clothing item at age 43. “I’m definitely not doing tube tops. No way,” Diaz joked.
Her bedtime has also altered dramatically. While the star still likes to go out with her best friends (her inner circle includes sister-in-law Nicole Richie, longtime pal Drew Barrymore, stylist Rachel Zoe and many more), there’s one mega difference.
“We do a girls’ night dinner once a month in whatever city the bulk of us happens to be in, usually New York or L.A. We have an e-mail chain and kind of hone in on who’s going to be where,” Diaz revealed. “It’s like, ‘So-and-so is going to be in New York? Oh, great, so is so-and-so.’ We pick a new restaurant every time, and we like an early-bird special—we all want to eat at 6 P.M. and be done by 8 so that everyone can go home and get some sleep.”
Diaz revealed in the same interview which older women she admires most. “Gloria Steinem is one of the great feminist examples of a woman doing it her way,” she replied. “Jane Fonda has also always been somebody who puts herself out there in a very honest way. I appreciate that. We have so many great examples in Hollywood, from Meryl Streep to Helen Mirren. They walk such a fine line between giving everybody what they want and not sacrificing themselves for it.”
The June/July issue of Harper’s Bazaar is on stands on May 24.
