Rise to Fame
She was a model who'd never acted when she walked into the audition for The Mask in 1994. No experience, no drama school, no credits, just chemistry with Jim Carrey and a debut that grossed over $350 million worldwide. The real confirmation came four years later with There's Something About Mary, a raunchy comedy that pulled $369 million globally on a $23 million budget and made her one of Hollywood's most bankable names. By 2013, she was the highest-paid actress over 40. The path from modeling to the A-list rarely works that cleanly.
In the Spotlight
She quit acting after Annie in 2014 and spent a decade focused on her kids, an organic wine brand, and what she called reclaiming her life. The comeback was Back in Action (2025) on Netflix, an action-comedy with Jamie Foxx that critics mostly dismissed (29% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences streamed heavily, landing it among Netflix's top titles of early 2025. Shrek 5 is confirmed, with her reprising Princess Fiona. Whatever kept her away for a decade, it wasn't a loss of nerve.
Side Notes
Benji Madden plays guitar in Good Charlotte, which is a very specific kind of celebrity crossover marriage. They met through Nicole Richie when Joel Madden got invited to a dinner party and brought his twin along. They married in January 2015 and have two kids together. She published The Longevity Book during retirement. The acting hiatus wasn't a breakdown or burnout. She had a whole other project running.