Julia Fox landed ‘Uncut Gems’ role reportedly against studio’s wishes
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.