Julia Fox on the 'Not Exciting' Celebs on Raya, Hanging with Madonna and Channeling Gwyneth Paltrow in "Him" (Exclusive) Eric AnderssonSeptember 18, 2025 at 12:16 AM 0 Tiffany Rose/Getty Julia Fox on Aug. 5.
- - Julia Fox on the 'Not Exciting' Celebs on Raya, Hanging with Madonna and Channeling Gwyneth Paltrow in "Him" (Exclusive)
Eric AnderssonSeptember 18, 2025 at 12:16 AM
0
Tiffany Rose/Getty
Julia Fox on Aug. 5. -
In wide-spanning interview with PEOPLE, Julia Fox opens up about dating, her friendship with Madonna and her new horror film, Him
"I was going to take it even if the script was trash, let's be honest," she says of signing on to Him, a big studio release from Universal
Him is in theaters nationwide on Friday, Sept. 19
Julia Fox's 4-year-old son Valentino recently asked her why Netflix sent over a box of popcorn and candy. "I was like, 'Oh, because I'm in one of the movies on Netflix,'" says Fox, whose drama with Vanessa Kirby, Night Always Comes, debuted on the platform in August. "He was like, 'Huh?'" So Fox cued up a clip of herself on screen, much to the child's boredom. "He probably looked at it for 0.3 seconds and lost interest," she says. "Maybe one day he'll think I'm cool.'"
Valentino may not be impressed with his mom — but to countless fans around the globe, she's Mother. Since Fox, 35, made her film debut opposite Adam Sandler in 2019's Uncut Gems, the outrageous and outspoken star has established herself as a cultural force. She's an in-demand actress, a fashion trendsetter, and a quotable meme queen (her pronunciation of Uncut Gems — "uncahjaams" — during a 2022 interview on Call Her Daddy went viral).
Now the It Girl who was name-checked in Charli xcx's hit pop song "360" is making her big-budget studio movie debut in the absolutely unhinged horror movie Him from director Justin Tipping and producer Jordan Peele, the Oscar winner behind Get Out.
Fox loved the "great" script, which was just "icing on the cake." After all, she wasn't about to turn down a huge opportunity like this one: "I was going to take it even if the script was trash, let's be honest."
Universal Studios
Tyriq Withers and Julia Fox in 'Him.'
In one of her first scenes as Elsie — an influencer wed to Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), a pro football player who takes a rookie (Tyriq Withers) under his wing — Fox, in character, tells her followers to insert a jade egg in a certain body part.
Is the line a reference to Gwyneth Paltrow, whose company Goop once endorsed the practice? "Yes," says Fox, who adds she's "pretty sure" she ad-libbed that bit herself. (A rep for Universal, the studio behind Him, confirms she did.)
"I saw a lot of Gwyneth parallels for sure," continues Fox, who says the creators drew from the actress and "a lot of different places" to create the dynamic character of Elsie. (To avoid spoilers, PEOPLE won't reveal any more.)
Six years have passed since Fox made her film debut in Uncut Gems, but she still gets "butterflies" on set. "There's always that first take where you're a little paralyzed and you're just like, 'Ahh,'" she says. "And then you kind of ease into it more. But obviously, I've acted a lot since then. So it's easier now, but it's still like nerve-racking AF for sure."
Fox's honesty has become something of her trademark. In interviews, in her 2023 memoir Down the Drain (a New York Times bestseller) and on social media, she's been open about everything from her tumultuous childhood, struggles with addiction, past plastic surgery procedures and identifying as pansexual.
What makes her so forthcoming in a world where many celebrities (a word she doesn't like) carefully curate their images? "People aren't dumb. People are going to know. So is it worse to lie about it or to just be honest about it?" she asks rhetorically.
Obidigbo Nzeribe/Universal Pictures
Julia Fox in August.
Take plastic surgery for example: "You just look dumb by trying to be like, 'No, I've only ever had a little bit of Botox,'" continues Fox. "It's like, 'Bitch, please!' Come on. No one is buying that. I am sorry."
"I will say that I am constantly so impressed with people's ability to be detectives on the internet," she adds. "With just the little information and the little tidbits, they put it together in a way that I'm just so in awe."
According to Fox family legend, a nurse foretold her future the day she was born: "With eyes like this and a name like Julia Fox, she's going to be a movie star." But her road to this moment was filled with detours and potholes.
Growing up, she shuttled between her mom's native Italy and her dad's apartment in New York City. As Fox tells it in her book, neither parent (nurse Ann or contractor Thomas) kept a close eye on her — she felt like an "orphan" she has said. She fell in with abusive boyfriends, shoplifted and used opioids for several years.
She worked as a dominatrix, started a fashion label, curated art shows and became well-known in certain hip New York City circles, catching the attention of Uncut Gems co-writer Josh Safdie, who scripted her the role of Adam Sander's on-screen girlfriend. With zero acting experience, Fox still had to audition, but got the role. The movie came out in 2019, the same year Fox has said she stopped using drugs following the death of a friend.
Now happy and healthy, Fox is in awe that she made it to this point. "There's still moments where I'm just like, 'Wow, I can't believe it. I really can't sometimes," says Fox. On the other hand, part of her believed that delivery nurse. "There was always this little tiny voice in the back of my head that did believe that that would happen. Because you do have to have that hope to keep you going."
Victor Boyko/Getty
Julia Fox and son Valentino in 2023.
Fox, who briefly dated Kanye West in 2022, is currently single (she shares Valentino with her ex-husband Peter Artemiev) and has no time or desire to find a partner at the moment. "The way that I date, that's two full-time jobs. I just don't have the bandwidth right now. And also, it's like if I were to do that, that would be cutting into the time with my child, and I don't think he would like that very much," she says.
She'll peek at the dating app Raya from time to time. "Sometimes I just scroll through it just to see who's on there, but I've never gone on a date off Raya," says Fox, who declines to name the celebrities she's seen.
"No, but honestly they're not even exciting," she adds. "Yeah. Sorry. No offense, Raya celebs."
Fox is dryly funny — and that sense of humor extends to herself. "There's definitely been times where I said something and then it became a meme," acknowledges Fox.
"And at first, I was like, 'Oh my God, they're making fun of me. And then I was like, 'Oh no, they love me.' They think this is funny. I think it's about just being in on the joke. You just have to not take yourself so seriously and laugh along with them."
"Unless it's actually really, really horrible," she quips. "Then you should probably sue."
Universal Studios
Julia Fox in 'Him.'
After Him, Fox has a laundry list of things she'd like to do: direct a movie, get back into writing and make more art. Likely not happening: a role as Madonna's BFF Debi Mazar in the long-delayed biopic about the Material Girl, which actress Julia Garner recently said is still happening.
"I think I might've aged out," she says. "I think they need someone who can really play a 15-year-old Debi Mazar in the elevator of Danceteria."
At least the audition got her a chance to hang with Madonna, who hosted Fox at her home.
"I remember she brought me to this room and she had me read the script in the house. And the whole time I was trying to focus on the script, but I was like, 'I'm in Madonna's house.' It was just really hard. I wish they would've just emailed it to me. I could have read it prior," she says.
Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Julia Fox in 2024.
Fox doesn't have many days off, but when she does, she's spending time with Valentino, binge-watching shows like The Hunting Wives or trying her hand making bread — which she was tempted to do after watching The Great British Baking Show.
"I got inspired. I was drooling at the TV, and then I was like, 'Okay, I have flour. I can do this,'" she says. How does hers come out? "It could be better," the ever-honest Fox admits. "It could be better, but I'm still learning." It's safe to say she'll master it eventually — just look at what she's accomplished so far.
Him is in theaters nationwide on Friday, Sept. 19.
Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happen true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.
on People
Source: "AOL AOL Entertainment"
Source: GL MAG
Full Article on Source: GL MAG
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities