“When you're in this business, I think it's really good to carve out a place where you feel like you're living life," the actor told PEOPLE exclusively
Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic;ABC
NEED TO KNOW
- Matthew Fox opened up about his decision to leave Los Angeles for Italy, and how it was prompted by the ending of Lost and his role as a dad, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE
- “When you’re in this business, I think it’s really good to carve out a place where you feel like you’re living life,” the actor said
- Fox shares two children, daughter Kyle and son Byron, with wife Margherita Ronchi
Matthew Fox left Los Angeles for a good reason.
The actor, 59, told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview at an FYC event for The Madison on Saturday, May 30, that his exit from L.A. to Italy was prompted by the ending of Lost and his life as a father.
Fox, who currently stars in the Taylor Sheridan series, played Jack Shephard in Lost from 2004 to 2010.
“I spent a lot of time, for a few years there, heavily in the spotlight, specifically with Lost, and then did a couple of years of doing films after that," Fox said. "For me, the step away was more about spending time with my family."
Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
The TV star shares two children, daughter Kyle and son Byron, with his wife, Margherita Ronchi.
At the time of the overseas move, Fox recalled, “Our daughter was entering her teen years, and I had been on sets and also traveling around doing a lot of promotion for Lost. Margherita and I really felt like it was a great time for us to really, really focus on our kids that are going through the teen years, which is always a bit of a challenge."
The father of two — who called his kids “absolutely incredible” and said he is “so proud of them" — continued, "When you're in this business, I think it's really good to carve out a place where you feel like you're living life. I think that feeds the work you do when you reenter and take a gig."
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Fox said he was able to discover "so many interests in my life that are outside of being an actor" through the move, including music and flying.
“Flying is really important to me, and I spend a lot of time doing it. It's almost a meditative and therapeutic thing for me. It helps organize my mind,” he explained.
Credit: Mario Perez/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Back in March, Fox opened up about life in Italy while appearing as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
When asked if he speaks Italian, the actor said, “I'm getting there. It's not an easy language to learn, but I'm learning it.”
He also spoke more about shifting focus to his family during his break from the spotlight during an interview with Variety that was published in March.
“I felt like it was time to engage really intensely with my family. I had missed some of their childhood because I was on set all the time with Lost and doing films,” he said.
“It was the right moment for me to step back and take a moment and engage with the people that I love and care about the most in the world,” Fox added.
Credit: ANDREAS BRANCH/Patrick McMullan via Getty
After Lost concluded, the actor appeared in a few movies through 2015. He had a seven-year hiatus until 2022, when he joined Peacock's Last Light. The next year, he appeared in the Australian comedy series Caught.
Fox returned to the small screen as Paul Clyburn in The Madison, also starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Elle Chapman and Kurt Russell, available to stream now on Paramount+.
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