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Leslie Mann, Cameron Diaz discuss their new comedy 'The Other Woman'

Leslie Mann and 'Game of Thrones' actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star in the new movie 'The Other Woman.' Leslie Mann recently starred in 'Rio 2.'

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Barry Wetcher/20th Century Fox/AP
Leslie Mann (l.), Nicki Minaj (second from l.), Cameron Diaz (second from r.), and Kate Upton (r.) star in 'The Other Woman.'
  • By Mary Milliken Reuters

"The Other Woman" is a somewhat rare species in today's film fauna – a comedy by women, about women and for women.

But not just for women, star Cameron Diaz said, even though the film is a tale of three women who band together to take revenge on the cheating cad.

"Everyone can relate to feeling betrayed," said Diaz, dismissing any notions that "The Other Woman" is solely a "chick flick."

The film from Fox, which opens on April 25 in U.S. and Canadian theaters, follows in the footsteps of female-driven comedies "Bridesmaids" in 2011 and "The Heat," which was the top-grossing comic film in 2013.

"The Other Woman" is expected to bring in $18 million at the box office in its first weekend, according to Boxoffice.com, less than "Bridesmaids" with $26 million and "The Heat" with $39 million, although those films opened in the busier movie-going months of May and June, respectively.

Diaz, 41, plays the cool, competent lawyer Carly, who lets her guard down when she falls for Mark, a suave businessman played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the Danish actor who stars in HBO's medieval fantasy "Game of Thrones."

Carly discovers Mark is married. His wife Kate, played by Leslie Mann, turns to Carly for support when she finds her world turned upside down by her husband's infidelity.

Together, they discover him cavorting with the much younger Amber, played by the 21-year-old Upton, who agrees to join the team and take Mark down.

For Diaz, the film – written and produced by women – is unique because instead of a story "about three women getting in a catfight over a man, they actually become friends."

Much of the physical comedy is instigated by Mann, best known for her roles in films like "This Is 40" from her director-husband Judd Apatow. 

Mann, 42, said director Nick Cassavetes pushed her out of her comic comfort zone, and she found it "very liberating, a lot of fun for me to just go crazy and have that freedom."

While there are sexual topics, some explicit language and bathroom humor, Diaz along with the filmmakers and Fox succeeded in overturning an initial R rating for the film in favor of PG-13, which widens its potential audience considerably.

In a movie landscape largely populated by action heroes and animated figures, particularly in the busy summer season, Diaz said she thinks Hollywood is waking up to comedy driven by women.

"What I really love is that women can ask for these things," Diaz said. "They can ask for films that represent them."

Mann chimed in: "Our movie is like sending a message to the studios to make more."

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