Monday, 18 May 2009

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Cameron Diaz says father's death strengthened her

Star felt comforted returning to a caring cast and crew

Losing her dad was a terrible shock for Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz's new movie My Sister's Keeper is bound to carry some bittersweet memories for her. During its filming, her 58-year-old father, Emilio, suddenly succumbed to pneumonia.

"I think, emotionally," Diaz, 36, tells Vogue for its June issue, on newsstands May 19, "it definitely took its toll."

Though production briefly shut down, Diaz later realized that it was comforting to return to a caring cast and crew.

"It's the human experience," she says of having to deal with loss. "You know, that's what the heart does. Things are given to us, and things are taken away. And I think the heart becomes stronger, more capable."

The loss also strengthened her, she says, as has pushed her to think outside the box.

"People who put labels on themselves limit themselves. If you are a woman who's been labeled as a sex symbol, for instance – I mean, I am not saying that's the label people would apply to me.

"But if you see yourself that way, inevitably you get to a point when you are no longer a sex symbol. And if you can't move past that, you’re putting a limit on yourself; you're arresting your development. And that's where I think a lot of women get in trouble."