As Fox stars in a new horror movie about the trappings of fame, Fox opens up about her own quick rise and overcoming her naiveté in the process.
Following her breakout role in Uncut Gems in 2019, Julia Fox had a quick ascent to stardom. It’s one that came with quite the learning curve, as her signature style and love life also courted headlines.
Now, she’s starring in the new horror film Him, about a young football phenom, Cam (Tyriq Withers), who must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to become the GOAT after being offered the chance to train with his idol, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). Throughout the film, Cam witnesses some pretty horrific happenings at White’s compound, as he slowly realizes this dream opportunity is actually a nightmare.
It’s a journey with which Fox can relate.
“I think when I first came into contact with real fame, it was really fun. It was really exciting. It’s all just new and fun. And then after a while, you kind of realize like, ‘Oh, wait, like, I’m a person. I’m not up for consumption,'” Fox shared with TooFab in an interview about the new film.
“I could give everything and it still wouldn’t be enough. So then you kind of start to hold things a little closer to the chest and have some boundaries and things you will talk about, things you won’t talk about, because you’re allowed to keep some things for yourself,” she continued. “But sometimes people think, ‘No, you’re famous, so you don’t have that right to keep anything for yourself.'”
That pressure from the public to share, share, share is one Fox pointed out has affected the mental health of so many in the spotlight, adding, “and some of them don’t even survive it at all.”
“I’m sure that the isolation of fame and the demands, the constant demands, the fear of being replaced or outdone or having to feel like you constantly have to outdo the last thing you did … I feel like that must be really, really intense,” she added.
Before her big Uncut Gems break, Fox had been working as a designer, artist, model, photographer and, at one point, a teenage dominatrix. The “It Girl” has since published a memoir, made headlines for her brief fling with Kanye West, was name-dropped in a Charli xcx song — before appearing in the music video — and dove headfirst into acting. Throughout that journey, Fox told TooFab she’s “definitely” been in situations that seemed like a great opportunity at the time, but ended up being anything but.
“This is an industry where everyone loves to sell you a dream and tell you that they can make this happen and that happen … and then you’re stuck in a contract with someone and they’re literally a diabolical, bottom feeding parasite,” Fox shared.
“So yes, I’ve encountered that a lot and I’m becoming much … just not as naive,” she continued. “Because I’m just a very honest, truthful person, I just assume that other people are, stupidly. So I’m definitely becoming a little better at filtering people through and knowing who’s real, who’s not, who’s just wanting to ride on the coattails and who really can, you know, back up their game.”
For her work in Him, Fox said she had a blast playing some of her character’s more unhinged moments.
“It was obviously really, really fun. I’d never done a role like this before. You know, getting to work alongside Marlon and Jordan Peele’s involvement and his whole team was incredible,” she said of the flick, directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Peele. “There were no bad apples. It was all just perfect.”
“We were in Albuquerque. I happen to love New Mexico, so I was very excited to go there and get to spend time there. It’s a very grounding place,” she added of filming. “I love vast landscapes and that desert vibe, and I just love it all. So for me, it was great. And because we’re on location, we got to really bond with each other and spend time, even off the set, together. And it was really fun.”
Him hits theaters this Friday, September 19.
