Cameron Diaz says that she’s wanted to make What Happens in Vegas, a romantic comedy that pairs her with Ashton Kutcher, ever since her first look at the script.

“I laughed when I read it,” she recalls, “and, if I laugh reading it just off the page, that’s a good sign. What Happens in Vegas, casts Diaz as Joy, a highstrung career woman dumped by her boyfriend, and Kutcher as Jack, a funloving womaniser fired from his family business. Joy and Jack venture separately to Las Vegas and wind up drunk, married and the joint winners of a $3 million slot-machine jackpot.

A film like What Happens in Vegas soars or sinks on its chemistry. Diaz reports that she and Kutcher got on as well behind the camera as they did in front of it.

“Right away we had that partnership,” the actress continues, “and that made it easy when we got there. Then, just by nature of the characters, they’re two very competitive people. That dynamic really helped build the chemistry between Jack and Joy. I think we tried to one-up each other as we went along.” Diaz first exploded onto the Hollywood scene in 1994.

That’s when she appeared opposite Jim Carrey in the surprise hit The Mask.

“It feels like that cliche, where people say that it’s like it was just yesterday, but it also sometimes feels like (The Mask) was forever ago,” Diaz says. “Even though I’m so much more experienced now, the great thing about filmmaking is that it’s a new experience every day. “I had no expectations even back then,” she adds, “and I still don’t now. I’m just thankful for the experiences I’ve gotten to have.”

Along the way Diaz has become an A-list movie star. At 35, she’s one of filmdom’s highest-paid actresses, having cracked the $20-million mark for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003) and commanded an estimated $15 million per picture since then.

“I can imagine how it must seem from the outside, because it’s hard to understand what it is like,” Diaz says. “But I think it’s different for everyone. I feel fortunate for being here, and this idea of commanding anything is ... I have been fortunate to do good business with large companies, with big studios. That’s the business we’re in. Life as a star at Diaz’ level comes with a price. Photographers follow her everywhere.

Her romances with Matt Dillon and Justin Timberlake, for example, have been tabloid fodder. So have her family tragedies: A week after this interview, her father, Emilio, died unexpectedly of complications from pneumonia on April 18. “There’s always a tradeoff,” Diaz says. “I think it’s absolutely worth it. I have the best life ever.

“I may have my moments when I feel that the paparazzi are overwhelming,” she admits, “but at the same time my comments come with a certain endearment, because they are a part of my life. They’re there. “I believe that you just make the best of the situation,” Diaz concludes. “You adapt. My life is amazing, so I don’t have anything to complain about.”