The actor, 41, would ban society’s obsession with ageing, send botox to the dungeon and cook a massive Cuban feast for all her subjects.
I would be an amazing queen. I’d be all about the people and making them as happy as possible. I would give them things that they did not even know that they needed, like knowledge about how their bodies work and good nutrition. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but at 41 years old I hope I’ve got closer to not having the bad habits that would destroy a kingdom.
My best friend would be a bad-ass lady-in-waiting. She’s capable, knows how to get things done and is fun, hilarious and smart – all the things you want to be surrounded by when you’re with somebody all the time. I don’t know if she’d want me to say her name because then she’d blow up and everybody would want her to be their friend so I’m keeping her my secret!
I used to wish I had Jennifer Lopez’s body. I was a skinny girl so I wanted curves, y’know? But what I realised after I got to know Jennifer and her work ethic is that we actually do have the same body because we both care about it and give it its nutrients and physical fitness, it just looks different.
My films are like my children. So it’s hard to pick my favourite one. I would feel bad if I had to choose one over the other ‘cos then I’m like ‘Oh honey, I love you too, you were amazing. I had such a good time making you!’ I just finished shooting Annie and that was a blast. I can’t wait to see it.
I hate the phrase ‘anti-ageing’. In denying ourselves the ability to age we don’t age gracefully. We’re ALL going to age – the only way you’re not is if you’re dead – so it’s a positive thing. It’s hard to get older, especially in the society we live in, but there’s no point trying to go backwards. I don’t feel frustrated by the roles I’m offered now I’m in my forties. I think the parts for older women are actually more interesting.
I played around with botox out of curiosity. I think everybody just goes ‘Oh let’s see what it does’ but it didn’t work for me because I want to look like myself. Somehow it’s now infiltrated down to really young women who think they have to do it to stop ageing which is ridiculous. I see their faces and I think they’re actually older than they are.
A Cuban feast would be my national dish. I love cooking with friends and family – I find it relaxing. At Christmas I had a huge Cuban-themed dinner party at my house. My mum and I spent an entire day making roast pork, roast chicken, black beans and rice, a big avocado salad, all the traditional stuff and everyone just tucked in.
There’d be no comparing myself to other queens. I read this amazing quote that said ‘Comparison is a brutal assault of oneself’ Comparing ourselves to other women is like saying we’re not good enough and that’s mean and not very nice. I never, ever Google myself. I don’t have any reason to. I don’t need to see the good or the bad.
I’d make nutritional education mandatory. I wrote my book because I’d listen to conversations with women who were my age going ‘How does this thing [my body] work? I’ve been living in it my whole life and it still confuses me’ and I started thinking ‘Why is that?’ I realised we were never educated. We just don’t know this stuff. And knowledge is power.
I’d tell my 20-year-old self to start exercising now. I remember all my girlfriends who were older than me would say ‘All these things are going to happen to your body’ and I was like ‘No it’s not – what are you crazy?!’ But I listened to what they said and remembered it when my body did start to change. Nobody gets a free pass on that. Some people have great genetics but it doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s how you feel.
This queen is philosophical. I don’t look at life as challenges. I just look at things that come my way as part of life’s lessons and they all have their different levels of intensity. But I try and remember ‘This too shall pass’ if I think about it the right way. I’ve had a pretty extraordinary life.
THE BODY BOOK: Feed, Move, Understand and Love Your Amazing Body by Cameron Diaz with Sandra Bark is out now (HarperCollins, £16.99).