Pushing Your Red Button - Cameron Diaz

Source: Warner Bros (Press Material)

In Warner Bros thriller release, "The Box", actress Cameron Diaz plays Norma Lewis, a woman who is faced with the ultimate moral dilemma (along with her husband) weighing a personal fortune against the life of a complete stranger.

Arlington Steward, a well-mannered and impeccably dressed gentleman of unknown origin and unknown motivation, appears out of the blue one day offers the couple the proverbial deal of a lifetime, a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring them a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of a random person somewhere on the Earth.

Speaking from Norma's perspective, Cameron Diaz explains, "Pushing the button is not a decision she takes lightly but, at the moment it happens, after so much intense thought, it's like something just comes over her. I think we've all been in situations where we know the consequences of an action but hope desperately that somehow it's not going to happen, that we can ignore it or take it back if we have to, that we can say, 'No, never mind, I was just kidding.' It doesn't necessarily have to be a life-or-death situation. There are so many examples in our daily lives when we take the easy way out if we think we can get away with it. It comes down to the difference between living consciously or not, and that, to me, is even more relevant than the big question about whether or not you would push the button. Look at all the little buttons you are offered every day.

"It's a question we all kept asking ourselves. I feel that no one really knows what they would do until they're faced with that kind of decision. On the surface, it's easy to say, 'I know exactly what I'd do.' But circumstances could be different at any given time, for any person. It's not as simple as it seems."

"What I like about this story is that the consequences are immediate and in-your-face, as if to say, 'You did this and now you must deal with the responsibility,'" Diaz continues. The bottom line, she cautions, is "Nothing is free."

Says producer Sean McKittrick, "Cameron brought a tremendous amount of thought to the evolution of Norma's storyline. We had some great discussions about redemption and self-sacrifice. The more she analyzed the story as it moved off the page, the more she brought to the shoot."

DIAZ has been honored for both her dramatic and comedic work in a wide range of both major studio hits and acclaimed independent releases. A four-time Golden Globe nominee, Diaz earned her first nod in 1999 for her performance in the title role of the Farrelly brothers' smash hit comedy "There's Something About Mary." She was also named the Best Actress of the Year by the New York Film Critics Circle, and won an MTV Movie Award for her work in the film.

The following year, she was Golden Globe-nominated for her role in Spike Jonze's "Being John Malkovich," for which she also received nominations for a BAFTA Award and an individual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award®, as well as a second SAG Award® nomination shared with the cast. Diaz garnered her third Golden Globe nomination, as well as SAG Award® and American Film Institute Award nominations, for her performance opposite Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe's 2001 film "Vanilla Sky." She earned her fourth Golden Globe nod for her role in Martin Scorsese's epic drama "Gangs of New York," opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

Diaz made her feature film debut in the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy "The Mask." She went on to star in the smash hit romantic comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding," with Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney and Rupert Everett. In 2000, she teamed with Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as "Charlie's Angels" in the blockbuster hit actioner. She more recently starred in the sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."

In 2001, Diaz gave voice to the feisty Princess Fiona, who found her one true love, and her true self, in the Oscar®-winning mega-hit "Shrek." She reprised the role of Princess Fiona in the sequel "Shrek 2," which was the number one film of 2004 and still ranks as the top-grossing animated feature and the top-grossing comedy film of all time. Diaz was again heard as Princess Fiona, who rallied the fairy tale princesses to defend Far Far Away in "Shrek the Third," and she is currently voicing the character in "Shrek Forever After," set for release in May 2010.

Her other credits include such diverse films as "The Sweetest Thing"; "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her," with Glenn Close, Holly Hunter and Amy Brenneman; Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday," with Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid and Jamie Foxx; Edward Burns' "She's the One"; "Feeling Minnesota," opposite Keanu Reeves; "Head Above Water"; Danny Boyle's "A Life Less Ordinary"; Peter Berg's "Very Bad Things," opposite Christian Slater; "Invisible Circus"; Curtis Hanson's "In Her Shoes," with Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine; and Nancy Meyers' "The Holiday," with Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black.

Diaz most recently starred in the hit comedy "What Happens in Vegas," opposite Ashton Kutcher, and in Nick Cassavetes' drama "My Sister's Keeper." Among her upcoming film projects are the action adventure "The Green Hornet," with Seth Rogen, and a romantic action comedy directed by James Mangold in which she reunites with Tom Cruise, both scheduled for a 2010 release.

See Also: Sneak Previews: Where The Wild Things Are, Whiteout, The Box, Sherlock Holmes And Ninja Assassin