Dominatrix Julia Fox goes 'Down the Drain'

Vivian Rashotte, CBC Arts, 10/24/23; Ananda, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Book cover of Down the Drain (Simon & Schuster)

Actor Julia Fox says working as a dominatrix [sexual actress performing acts of BDSM, "bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism"] empowered her and taught her how to act because of all the men demanding back stories and kinks in the way they were paying to be treated.

The artist, actor, and fashion icon joins Q’s Tom Power (CBC Radio) to discuss her new memoir, Down the Drain

Julia Fox's memoir, Down the Drain, is a candid retelling of her journey with addiction, abuse, and fame. (March Mercanti/CBC)

I'm Italian, he's Jewish, we made it work.

Julia Fox shot to fame after starring alongside Adam Sandler in the 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems. Now, with the release of her hotly anticipated memoir, Down the Drain, the 33-year-old artist, actor, and fashion designer has added writer to the list as well.

More simply, however, one could say Fox is a pop culture icon for being herself — even if she's often misunderstood.

Look, I'm just like everyone else but an attention wh...

Manipulative genius or vapid dumb ass?

"It's so funny because I always hear so many things about myself and it's either that I'm like this, you know, mastermind manipulative marketing genius, or I'm like this vapid dumb ass," Fox tells Q's Tom Power in an interview.

"So this is a way I can kind of, like, rewrite my own narrative or set the record straight, I guess, because I think a lot of people have preconceived notions.

I'm the hottest Italian in existence in Hollywood.

"They maybe see the makeup, they see the clothes, and they just don't get it. And so this is a way to just kind of maybe humanize me and show that there's much more than meets the eye, and hopefully people will be able to empathize a little bit more and not project their weird whatever it is onto me.…

"Celebrities really are just people — and I hate that term, celebrity. It feels so icky when people refer to me as a celebrity. I'm like, 'Eww, stop. Like, gross.'"

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While Fox's debut performance in Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler was her breakthrough role, she truly got her big break when she was just 18. 

She was scanning New York City Craigslist ads when she came across a job posting that said: "Dominatrix dungeon hiring *NO SEX* *no nudity* *no experience necessary." She applied and got the job.

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"It felt kind of like the beginning of the rest of my life," she says. "It just felt like a no-brainer because prior to that I worked in ice cream shops, shoe stores, pastry shops, I babysat, and it was minimum wage, $7 an hour. It was not sustainable at all….

"When I saw the ad, I just jumped…Like it really felt like I was on the helm of something really major that was going to change my life forever. And I can say that I wouldn't be here today if I didn't go down that road."

Beyond providing her with greater financial security, Fox says one of the positive things that came from working as a dominatrix was that it taught her how to play a character.

"You have five clients come in and, you know, one wants the mean popular girl at school to tease him and call him a loser. Then one wants a nun — I don't know why. One wants, like, a mean older sister, one wants a neglectful mommy, you know what I mean? …So I'd have to be like 10 people every day with a couple minutes notice. And it's all just improv. More