LOS ANGELES ? The subject of Cameron Diaz?s new film, a couple trying to save a daughter from dying of cancer, brought some somber moments in a recent press conference.

Cameron was in the middle of filming ?My Sister?s Keeper? when her 58-year-old father, Emilio Diaz, died suddenly during a bout with pneumonia last year. Director Nick Cassavetes (?The Notebook?) shot around Cameron while she was away. The heartbreaker stars Cameron and Jason Patric as the parents of Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva, who plays the 16-year-old terminally ill daughter.

?I had to go back and work,? Cameron said about returning to the set of ?My Sister?s Keeper.? ?I had to. There wasn?t an option. I was very fortunate to get to go back to a wonderful group of people who were very kind, generous and supportive. Nick had lost his father (director John Cassavetes) who was the same age as my father when he passed. Nick knew what it was like. Also, Abbie and Sofia are just really courageous girls. Their strength is not only evident in the film. The way they connect with people and build relationships is amazing.?

?You guys ? my eyes are really starting to go,? she admitted, misty-eyed at the recollection of the painful period. ?Do you mind?? she asked as she requested for a pause. ?Maybe for just a second. I?m sorry. Thank you.?

?It?s so personal,? she said of her loss. ?As many of you might know, the first year after your parent dies is a very transformative year. It?s a very important year in your life. I?ve been going through that. I wouldn?t feel comfortable sharing all the things that happened.? She added, ?There?s a period when you?re in shock. It happened very suddenly for our family. It was very unexpected.?

Asked how she was faring now, Cameron answered, ?Well, I?m 36 years old, going to be 37 (in August) and where am I at? I?m in a place where I really know myself a lot better than I have. I?m happy to be with what I have in my life and the people that I share it with. I feel really fortunate that I have an amazing family and amazing friends.?

Playing a mother, of course, brought up the motherhood question. ?I?ve been pretty consistent in the way that I live my life,? was how she began her reply to the question of having children. ?I don?t really worry too much or force things into shape. I?ve been really fortunate and grateful for what I?ve experienced. I feel fulfilled, loved and nurtured. I get to nurture the people in my life. If having children is something that?s going to happen in my life, I welcome it. If it doesn?t happen, then it wasn?t meant to be. I don?t declare either way that I will or I won?t.?

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