Since her instantly iconic performance in “Uncut Gems,” it’s fair to say that Julia Fox has gathered a cult following in recent years. Known for her bracingly honest TikToks and interviews, it’s only fitting that Fox now graces our screens as the enigmatic ‘It Girl’ influencer Elsie White in Justin Tipping’s new horror film “Him.”
Through an unlikely pairing of football and horror, “Him” tells a tale of sacrifice as a young football player, Cameron “Cam” Cade (Tariq Withers), is plunged into a dark and disorientating rabbit hole, curated by legendary quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) as he trains and pushes the rising star to extremes.
Although Isaiah is charismatic and successful, something sinister lurks beneath the surface. It’s Fox’s character Elsie who provides comfort and reassurance to Cam as a contrast to her overpowering husband, but she too has her own mysterious motives.
When asked what drew her to the film, Fox tells Variety AU/NZ about her admiration for Jordan Peele’s work — his production company, Monkeypaw, is behind “Him.”
“[…] obviously it’s Jordan Peele. So it’s gonna pique my interest” she says. “Then I read the script and it was phenomenal. And then I spoke to the director [Justin Tipping] and he was just an amazing human being and so kind, so thoughtful and so collaborative. [Elsie] was a dream role.”
Fox revealed she wasn’t necessarily a fan of horror films before joining the project. “It [horror] has to be done super tastefully. Otherwise I’m just like looking for the mess-ups. I’m like, ‘That looks fake! This looks cheesy…’ I just can’t take this seriously. Like whatever… But I love thrillers”.
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Neither was she an ardent fan of football, telling us “I respect it, you know I respect it, but it’s not for me.”
“Him” features male athletes pushing themselves to their limits, desperate to achieve GOAT (Greatest of All Time) status, something that’s not lost on Fox.
“The whole thing is about pushing yourself, pushing your body, pushing your mind,” she says. “And it’s definitely not for the weak. It’s a heavy burden to carry, I would say, or a heavy title to carry… Sports in particular is its own beast. And you know it chews these guys up and spits them out when they’re no longer, you know, viable.”
The on-screen dynamic between Cam and Isaiah — that of mentee and mentor — made its way off-screen too, according to their co-star.
“It definitely got very real,” Fox reveals. “I think Marlon was definitely putting Tariq through the wringer… But it was all in good spirit. Like it wasn’t ill-intentioned.”
Although Fox’s character is the wife of a legendary football star, Elsie is far from two-dimensional, a fate that’s befallen similar characters in past films.
“She [is] her own person with her own ambitions, her own goals, her own dreams, her own trauma,” Fox states. “She wanted to make a name for herself independently of him. Like even in the film, Isaiah’s always home doing his weird little things, and she’s travelling, she’s posting her videos, has her charities, has her myriad of companies.”
That’s why she thinks she’d love Elsie if she encountered her in real life. “I think I would just be in awe of her,” she says.
How would Fox describe “Him” to a friend?
“I would say it’s like ‘Black Swan’ for guys,” she answers, before confessing: “I didn’t come up with that, our moderator said it and I was like, ‘Bingo. That’s exactly what it is.'”
The connection to “Black Swan” is warranted as “Him” similarly showcases the sacrifices needed to push yourself to terrifying limits, making one question reality and those around them.
After watching the film, Fox hopes that “people [might] be a little more wary of false idols and just keeping in mind that everybody’s human and these people are not who you think they are, which a lot of the time is a projection of what you hope they are. Just focus on what’s real life.”
“Him” is out in cinemas throughout Australia and New Zealand now.