Matthew Fox was at the top of Hollywood, then walked away.
The Lost star, 59, took a break from acting for more than a decade, despite appearing as Dr. Jack Shepherd in one of TV’s biggest hits.
Foxx, who is back in the spotlight with the Yellowstone spinoff The Madison, attended the premiere of his new show in New York on Monday and spoke about his decision to take a break from acting.
“I felt it was time to get seriously involved with my family,” he told Variety.
Fox admitted that his hectic schedule during the heyday of “Lost” made him nostalgic for parts of his children’s childhood.
“I was on the set of ‘Lost’ all the time, filming and promoting the movie, so I was nostalgic for some of their childhoods,” he said. “It was the perfect moment for me to step back, take time, and engage with the people I love and cherish most in the world.”
Fox said he had been away from regular television work for more than a decade, but eventually he started missing television work.
Fox will return to television in 2022 with the series “Last Light,” marking his first TV appearance since “Lost,” which ended in 2010. He then landed his latest role when he appeared in the comedy series “C*A*U*G*H*T.”
“I missed storytelling,” he explains, adding that when producer Taylor Sheridan approached him about appearing on The Madison, he immediately said yes.
In “Madison,” Foxx plays Paul, a rugged bachelor who thrives on the outdoors.
The series follows a New York City family who moves to Montana’s Madison River Valley after two of their relatives die in a catastrophic plane crash. Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Stacey Clyburn, a wealthy matriarch who uproots her family from Manhattan after a tragedy.
Although his career has long been tied to Hollywood, Fox has previously spoken of his desire to live somewhere quieter.
In 2008, the actor said he and his family were considering moving to Oregon. Relatives lived there and the outdoor life was fulfilling.
“I like fishing, hiking, and skiing,” Fox told People. “In Oregon, you have easy access to mountains, fresh air, and all that without having to drive long distances.”
Foxx first rose to fame playing Charlie Salinger on the hit drama “Party of Five,” which aired from 1994 to 2000.
He then became famous for his role as Jack Shepard on ABC’s sci-fi phenomenon Lost, which aired for six seasons from 2004 to 2010.
Along the way, he also appeared in films such as “Smokin’ Aces,” “We Are Marshall,” “Vantage Point,” “Speed Racer,” “World War Z” and the 2015 Western “Bone Tomahawk.”
Fox was mostly away from acting from 2014 to 2021. In a 2022 interview, he said that after The Bone Tomahawk, he felt he had achieved many of the career goals he had set for himself.
“‘I had kind of a bucket list in my head about what I wanted to accomplish in business,” he told Variety. “I wanted to do a Western. A very weird Western, but a Western. So, the bucket list was complete.”
At the same time, his two sons, Kyle (now 28) and Byron (25), were growing up.
“I felt like it was time to go home,” Fox said, adding that his wife of more than 30 years, Margherita Ronchi, supported him “beautifully” at the fort while he worked.
“I felt like I was retiring from the business and working on other creative elements that were really personal to me, like music and writing.”
But for now, the actor seems ready to return to public life.
