Was Anna Nicole Smith almost cast in The Mask?

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me is a new Netflix original documentary about the life of Anna Nicole Smith, the TV personality, actress, and model who passed away in 2007 at the age of 39. The new documentary was released on May 16, 2023.

Smith’s career in the entertainment industry started in 1992 in Playboy magazine. Later, she appeared in several movies, TV shows, and music videos, including The Hudsucker Proxy, Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult, Skyscraper, To the Limit, Ally McBeal, and The Anna Nicole Show. 

Anna Nicole Smith chose role in Naked Gun 3 over The Mask

In Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me, Smith is on the phone with someone, and she’s explaining that two major movies want her to appear, but they’re both filming at the same time. The movies she mentions are The Mask starring Jim Carrey and Naked Gun 3. 

Smith goes on to explain that she was only offered $50,000 for the “lead girl role” in The Mask. 

We shared her side of the conversation from the documentary below:

"“Um, there’s two major movies that want me at once, and they’re both shooting at the same time. One’s called The Mask by Chuck Russell, and one is Naked Gun 3. The Mask movie, I’ve had for about four months. I hadn’t read the script until last week… It’s got Jim Carrey in it, that funny guy. So, I love the script. But, the thing is, is they offered me… I have a lead role, the lead girl role, and they offered me only — this is embarassing. They offered me $50,000.”"

Based on this interaction, it sounds like Smith had booked the role before choosing to star in the Naked Gun movie instead of The Mask. In 1994, Smith played Tanya Peters in Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult. 

Cameron Diaz starred in The Mask as Tina Carlyle

As those who have seen The Mask know, the part that Smith is referring to actually went to Cameron Diaz, and it turned out to be Diaz’s film debut and first major role. Obviously, that led to a number of huge roles for Diaz in the coming years, including There’s Something About Mary, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Charlie’s Angels, and more.

In The Mask, Diaz played Tina Carlyle, who is a lounge singer, aspiring actress, and the love interest of Stanley Ipkiss, also known as The Mask, played by Jim Carrey.