Has Cameron ever been cheated on?

MANILA, Philippines - After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman (Cameron Diaz) tries to get her ruined life back on track. But when she accidentally meets the wife he’s been cheating on (Leslie Mann), she realizes they have much in common, and her sworn enemy becomes her greatest friend. When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on their cheating, lying, three-timing sob in The Other Woman.

Carly Whitten (Cameron) is a tough-as-nails New York lawyer with a strict set of rules when it comes to men and relationships. When she meets Mark King (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), she lets her guard down and begins to fall for him. A spontaneous, surprise visit to Mark’s Connecticut home goes awry when Carly discovers that Mark has a wife, Kate (Leslie). A devoted super-housewife, Kate is shocked that Mark has been cheating on her, and Carly is furious to learn that Mark is a married man. But instead of directing their outrage toward one another, Carly and Kate slowly begin to bond over their joint enemy, and with help from Amber (Kate), a third woman caught up in Mark’s lies, they conspire to give him what he deserves. As their strategies become more ingenious, their bond grows stronger.

How would you describe your role, Carly?

“She’s a very successful lawyer. She’s dating and she meets a guy whom she thinks has real potential. When Carly realizes that Mark is married, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him or the wife. But here’s this other woman, Kate, who is asking for her help, and there’s no way she cannot help her.”

How was it working with Leslie Mann?

“It was amazing. I was really grateful, because it is not often that I get to do that sort of physical comedy, especially with another woman. Leslie is fearless. She’s strong and funny and she has so much energy and strength and her body can do all these crazy things. It was literally the purest delight to be partners with her, to play straight to her screwball.”

What was it like working with Kate Upton? This is her first big film role.

“She’s amazing. She is so funny and observant and smart. She sees everything and she doesn’t miss a chance. People don’t expect her to be as smart as she is beautiful. Kate blew us all away with her natural ability to improvise. We had no idea what she was capable of, but she immediately held her own. We were all completely impressed.”

What do you think is the core message of the movie?

“It’s about friendship and about women. What I also loved about the script is that it wasn’t man-bashing and it wasn’t about revenge. It’s about a journey that these women take with one another to learn about themselves. The three women’s lives are so different that their paths would have never crossed under normal circumstances. And because they have this thing in common, they come together and become a team. What they do to Mark is more to reveal who he is rather than to be vengeful on him. I thought all of those things were unique and a lot of fun to bring to life.”

The movie looks at a man who is an incorrigible cheater. Do you think both men and women cheat, or do men cheat more?

“I think everyone, male or female, has been cheated on. I don’t know what the ratios are (laughs) or the percentiles, but nobody gets out unscathed. It’s something that happens and that we all have been through, I don’t think there are any exceptions. That’s just life.”

In one scene, you wear a white bikini on the beach and you look fabulous. Did you follow any special fitness regime prior to filming?

“No I didn’t do any specific workout for this movie, just my normal training, three or four times a week. Actually I have been in a little bit of a lull and have not trained as much as I normally do, because I’ve been so busy. But for me, well-being is all about taking care of yourself for the right reasons, being the best that you can and not changing yourself for somebody else’s sake.”

How was your collaboration with Patricia Field in this movie?

“Patricia and I agreed early on that Carly was a stylish, self-possessed woman, who took pride in the way she looked. I wanted her to always be ‘done.’ She puts herself together every day. She curls her hair, she has her nails done, she does her make up. She’s a high-functioning individual, a top lawyer who gets things done. She’s in her groove. I think the costumes really represent that well.”

You always seem very grounded, would you say that comes from your close family? You did not have a privileged upbringing.

 â€œNot at all. Very much the opposite. But I had an amazing family, amazing parents who really taught me how to work hard and to have gratitude and to know that whatever you have, you’re lucky to have it. All day long they got me to do chores. They were actively teaching me all through my childhood, saying: ‘This is how it’s done.’ Ever since I was four years old, I’ve been doing my laundry (laughs). If you didn’t do it right, you had to do it again. You figure out how to do it properly. That has been my mentality my entire life: you just do the best you can every day.”

You are so optimistic. How fulfilling is your career and life right now?

“I love my job because I love stories and I love telling stories. Every second of the day is different. I love to collaborate; I love being creative with other people, sharing information. Even though this movie is a comedy, I really feel it’s to let people know that women can be good to each other and champion one another, and that they don’t have to be competitive. I hate competition between women and I’m not a competitive person myself. I want everybody to succeed.”

Cameron made her film debut at age 21 in The Mask. Her early hits include Feeling Minnesota, She’s The One and My Best Friend’s Wedding. She went on to star in A Life Less Ordinary and the indelible comic classic, There’s Something About Mary, for which she won several prestigious awards and a Golden Globe nomination. She starred in Being John Malkovich, which resulted in another Golden Globe nomination; Any Given Sunday; the movie version of the iconic ’70s TV series, Charlie’s Angels, and the sequel Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

Cameron voiced the unforgettable, feisty Princess Fiona in the colossal hit Shrek and the sequels. Her credits include Vanilla Sky and Gangs of New York, which both led to Golden Globe nominations, What Happens in Vegas, My Sister’s Keeper, Knight and Day, The Green Hornet, Bad Teacher, Gambit and last year’s drama from Ridley Scott, The Counselor. Upcoming projects include Sex Tape and the movie musical Annie.

Cameron is the author of The Body Book, which focuses on health, well-being and nutritional advice for women. She is the Ambassador for TAG Heuer’s Link Lady collection of watches, raising awareness for programs that empower women.

The Other Woman will open in cinemas tomorrow,  May 7, from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.