October 2, 1998
Something about merry
By STEVE TILLEY
By STEVE TILLEY --

Cameron Diaz, queen of comedy?

It's starting to look that way, says Diaz, who is actively pursuing roles that aren't as light - or as offbeat - as what she's been doing lately.

"That's what I've been looking to get involved with, because I've done a lot of comedy, and a lot of dark comedy and a lot of fantastical sort of ideas,'' says Diaz, who stars in the summer smash There's Something About Mary.

Her other recent credits include the dark comedy Very Bad Things, coming out later this fall, and last year's hit romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding.

Diaz is currently at work on the Oliver Stone flick Any Given Sunday, about a group of high school jocks who try to cover up a murder committed by an autistic boy. She plays a football team manager.

"The story is real. It's about something that's happening now,'' she says.

Something else happening now is the publicity around Diaz's split from heartthrob Matt Dillon, her co-star in There's Something About Mary.

While she's tight-lipped about the breakup, her philosophy is clear.

"You live your life, you're responsible for yourself, what happens in your life,'' she says.

"I think that you can't always plan the big picture, but moment to moment you can certainly do something about it.''