Who Is ‘Uncut Gems’ Actress Julia Fox?

1. Where is she from?

Fox was born in Italy but is a New Yorker through and through. She was raised in the city by her father, along with one of her brothers, while her mother and other brother remained in Italy. It was a tumultuous childhood and Fox revealed to High Snobiety that they moved often and “were homeless at one point.”

2. What did she do before becoming an actress?

The short answer is a lot. Fox was a fixture in the New York club scene from a young age and even became the part owner of a nightclub, she told Paper magazine. She also revealed during the interview that she worked as a dominatrix in high school. Fox explained, “My first experience in acting was probably in high school. My after-school job was a dominatrix, so, you know, it was fantasy role play.” As it turns out, that was all Fox needed to prepare her for her breakout role. She never formally took acting classes and credits her time as a dominatrix as the best training she could have received. 

3. How did she land her ‘Uncut Gems’ role?

As you might imagine, Fox wasn’t the only one who auditioned for the Joshua and Benjamin Safdie-directed film. Producers pushed the auteur brothers to cast an A-list actress in the role (over 300 women auditioned), but they felt from the beginning that Fox was their Julia. When she finally did a screen test with Sandler, their chemistry was undeniable and she was officially cast in the role.

4. What else has she appeared in?

Although Uncut Gems was her first feature, Fox recently wrapped a short film she wrote and directed called Fantasy Girl. In addition to acting, she has aspirations of continuing to write and direct her own projects.

We can’t wait to see what she dives into next.