Julia Fox reflected on Kanye West’s influence on her career, describing their brief relationship as a catalyst for reclaiming her creative autonomy.
The actress, who dated the Hip-Hop mogul in 2022, told “The New York Times’ Popcast” that West’s presence in her life was “a blessing.”
According to Fox, West’s disruptive energy allowed her to regain control over her professional image—something she struggled with for years.
“You know, it was actually a blessing that he came into my life,” Fox said. “He kind of shook up my team in a way where a lot of the creative control was then given back to me.”
Julia Fox admitted she had felt immense pressure to conform to a specific Hollywood image.
“I’d get into fights with my creative team about it and be really upset about it, but then ultimately always concede and just do what they wanted me to do because it was easier than arguing.”
Fox credited Kanye West for encouraging her to assert her own vision.
“When he left, it was like, ‘Well, I’m gonna do what I wanna do.’ I kind of felt like, ‘Oh my god, the world is my oyster.’ I’m my own muse,” she expressed.
Julia Fox observed that after their brief romance, she had wrestled back full authority over her image.
The pair’s relationship followed West’s separation from his wife, Kim Kardashian.
Even though their romantic involvement was short-lived, Fox admitted she noticed “red flags” during the time they spent together.
Speaking to the BBC, she revealed, “I chose to turn a blind eye to because it was fun, and exciting, and shiny, and you know just new.”
Fox acknowledged the relationship felt liberating at first.
“It felt like a relief in the beginning: ‘Oh finally, someone else can take the reins,’ but I think you know it became unsustainable and that’s why the relationship only lasted a month.”
Despite her struggles to be taken seriously in the fashion world while dating Kanye West, Fox insisted her style was her own.
“I started to hear this whole thing. ‘She’s only killing it in fashion because it’s Kanye.’ And I was like, ‘No, these are my looks, and I’m putting them together.’”
She emphasized that her efforts to make her own creative decisions often clashed with her team’s desires to keep her image more conventional.
Reflecting on the lessons learned from her time with West, Julia Fox concluded that taking control over one’s creative output is empowering.
“I felt like that was what I needed to push against, and prove that I’m doing this, and I wasn’t doing it before because my team just wanted me to look basic.”
