Is Cameron Diaz the New Goldie Hawn?
I'm waiting on certain Hollywood legends to find descendents in current cineplex stars. Far as I'm concerned, we're in dire need of a new Jack Lemmon, a new Shirley MacLaine, and a new Madeline Kahn, along with many, many others. But every so often, a millennial star finds a way to exhume the spirit of an old star while adding refreshing relevance. I present to you the following hypothesis in silver screen genealogy: Cameron Diaz is our new Goldie Hawn.
Clearly there are some differences. Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award-winning star whose spark and frivolity sometimes concealed murkier undertones in her roles (as in Cactus Flower, Shampoo) but usually acted as a platform for her expert comic timing (Private Benjamin, Protocol). Cameron Diaz is known for her on-screen ebullience too, but she's garnered more praise for being a longtime box-office draw than an award-worthy thespian. You could also argue that Hawn is regularly more vulnerable than Diaz. And yet, plenty of parallels align their legacies.
First, let's compare their rather indefatigable energies. Goldie Hawn kicked off her career as a shimmying, giggling comic on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, using her caught-unawares persona to get away with classic double entendres.
In Charlie's Angels, which is officially a Bad Movie We Love, Diaz pummeled us with girly chutzpah (in the form of an earth-shattering booty dance) before employing the same panache to justify a patently vulgar one-liner. (Click to the midway point to get the booty dance and one-liner in question.)
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Comments
No, but Ana Faris is! Diaz is not even close. This article is a little late in her career isn't it?
The new Goldie Hawn is Anna Faris, not Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz is simply Cameron Diaz.
I think it's a good comparison, they're both hot and funny and have been around a while.
And yea Faris might fit better, but she hasn't been around long enough.
The similarity that I detect is that Diaz, like Hawn, is comfortable in her own skin.
They both have blonde hair.
Kate Hudson is going to be so pissed when she finds out she's not the new Goldie Hawn.
Interesting comparison. I do appreciate the mention of Overboard (one of my all-time guilty pleasure movies)...
But Anna Faris is too cheeky. Like, grossout, utterly bawdy humor -- though hilarious. Hawn and Diaz balance bubbly and subversive more comparably.
I mostly agree with this, but I don't think Cameron is quite as likeable. She has a bit of iciness to her sometimes.