Julia Fox landed ‘Uncut Gems’ role reportedly against studio’s wishes
Julia Fox has claimed the studio behind Uncut Gems was not initially on board with casting her because she wasn’t a “big name”.
The actor and model, who had her debut role in the 2019 crime thriller opposite Adam Sandler, explained in her new memoir Down The Drain how screenwriter Josh Safdie had been “telling her for five years” that she would be perfect for the role.
As reported by People, Safdie is said to have told Fox the studio, however, wanted “someone with a big name, like Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lawrence” for the role. As she wasn’t known in Hollywood at the time, Fox said she never expected to get the part.
Following a successful screen test with Sandler, Fox landed the part and said getting the news felt like she hit the lottery.
In an interview with The New York Times, Safdie explained how Fox’s character, Julia De Fiore, evolved in the writing process to become “more specific” to the actor.
“When she finished [reading the script], Julia asked me if I had been spying on her because she thought that there were so many strange similarities with the character,” Safdie said.
Speaking about how he would call Fox whenever he had writer’s block, Safdie added: “I would ask her for advice. The character was just kind of constantly evolving to become more specific to her.”
Following Uncut Gems, Fox has had roles in the 2021 crime thriller No Sudden Move from director Steven Soderbergh. She’s set to star in upcoming dark comedy The Trainer opposite Vito Schnabel and Steven Van Zandt.
In a five-star review, NME described Uncut Gems as a “anxiety-inducing heart-attack of a movie that grabs its audience by the throat and shakes until there’s no breath left”.
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Adam Starkey
NME
