Matthew Fox is reflecting on his 2015 decision to take a long hiatus from acting, following the conclusion of the survival drama Lost and a string of movie roles.
Fox, 59, starred as Jack Shephard throughout the entire six-season run of Lost, from 2004 to 2010. He later appeared in a handful of movies, including Emperor (2012), World War Z (2013) and Bone Tomahawk (2015), before stepping away on an extended hiatus. He made his long-awaited return in the 2022 miniseries Last Light and the 2023 miniseries C*A*U*G*H*T. He will next star in Taylor Sheridan’s new standalone series, The Madison.
Speaking to Variety at the series’ premiere, Fox explained the reason for his lengthy acting break. “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.
Fox has two children, daughter Kyle and son Byron, whom he shares with his wife of nearly 35 years, Margherita Ronchi.
“So it was the right moment for me to step back, take time to engage with the people that I love and care about the most in the world. And I did that, and then I kinda missed storytelling, and this opportunity came along from Taylor and I was like, ‘Yeah I’m in,’” he added. “Now I have a balance.”
Matthew Fox on his long acting hiatus after #Lost:
— Variety (@Variety) March 10, 2026
“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.” pic.twitter.com/aYcwoSbusY
The Emmy-nominated actor was cast in The Madison in 2024, joining Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman and Beau Garrett.
The forthcoming series was originally intended to be a sequel to Sheridan’s popular Western drama Yellowstone. However, it is reportedly now being handled as a standalone series, centered on a different family within the Yellowstone universe.
Teased as Sheridan’s “most intimate work to date,” in an official logline, the storyline unfolds across two distinct worlds: “the beautiful landscape of Montana and the vibrant energy of Manhattan — as it examines the ties that bind families together.”
Director Christina Alexandra Voros told Variety in 2024 that The Madison is “such a different story” from Yellowstone.
“The common ground is the landscape,” she explained. “We are in Montana, but it is seen through a completely different lens, so it feels like another facet of this cut stone that has been polished. There are parallels in the scope of landscape and a human being’s place in that space, but it’s coming at it from a completely different point of view.”
The Madison premieres its first three episodes on Paramount+ Saturday, March 14, with the final three on March 21.
