Julia Fox On Protein-Maxxing & Catholic Guilt — EXCLUSIVE

If Julia Fox posted an “ins and outs” year-end list on her Instagram, you’d be shocked to hear protein is in. (She’s also way too cool to make one of those posts.) Although, based on her rock-hard abs, learning that she fell down the protein-maxxing rabbit hole in 2025 might not come as a surprise. What may come as a startling fact is that Fox’s first role of 2026 isn’t in a fashion editorial or even a movie: It’s a campaign for David Protein. The tech-bro-leaning protein bar company is reframing the way we look at protein, and the way we look at fueling our bodies. The Bronze Bar is the latest in their offering, promising a marshmallow-like texture with a chocolate coating and 18 grams of protein. It also has the same amount of calories (150) as their original Gold Bar, and offers twice the indulgence.

Who better to front the campaign for the Bronze Bar than the queen of indulgence, Ms. Fox? She puts it best, as she tells NYLON exclusively: “In terms of guilty pleasures, I don't think there's such a thing. I think all pleasures are valid and you shouldn't feel bad for indulging.” Whether she’s flaunting a new handbag or maximizing her protein intake, Fox knows things that feel good don’t have to come at some moral price, or feel like a chore: That’s where she and David got off on the exact same foot. The camp video, directed by Justin Campbell and shot by cinematographer Alexander Dynan, sees Fox in a confessional booth, at turns aroused, regretful, and hungry for more. It sounds like she’s talking about a man, but remember, she swore off men. The David she’s lusting after is wrapped in chocolate and a copper-colored wrapper. Hitting your macro goals and satisfying your sweet tooth don’t have to happen separately, and best of all, they don’t have to come at the cost of your sanity or religious beliefs.

Below, NYLON talks exclusively with Fox about shooting the David Protein Bronze Bar campaign, what pleasure means to her, and why The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is all anyone can think about these days.

I love this campaign. In just one minute, you're giving lust, pleasure, regret, and Catholic guilt. What drew you to say yes, and why did you want to work with David?

I'm not a big protein bar girl because I like things to taste good and sweet. This is the only protein bar brand I will eat that actually does taste like candy. It's so freaking good. I eat them all the time, to be honest. When they reached out, I was like, "Oh, perfect," because I already knew what the brand was. I was like, “Great, can we get a lifetime supply in that contract? That's really what I want here.” I met with the team and they were all really cool. A lot of elements need to be right for me to do something, but this is a brand I could get behind.

How was the experience on set working with Justin Campbell and Alexander Dynan?

So, so fun. It was a lot of what I wanted to do, and I like when it feels more relaxed.

I mean, with these sort of sponsorships, the experience can be—

Oppressive.

That's not the sense I got from this video.

No, no. It was really funny and I was laughing a lot. It had positive vibes.

They were smart to let you do your thing. 2025 was the year of protein-maxxing. Are you buying into this madness?

I really am. I've been into protein powder. I was trying to find a brand that tasted good. I really like the Ballerina Farms protein powder. Shout out to them. I didn't think I'd go down that rabbit hole, but she got me! It is hard to get your protein in, if you're especially working a lot. It's sometimes hard to even be able to sit down and eat a proper meal, and then when I do eat that meal, the likelihood of protein being in it is slim to none. I did start to realize that when I wasn't getting the right protein, I was sluggish during the day and tired. I had to dissect what was going on. I was like, ‘Is it a depression thing? Is it something more serious?’

It's really that f*cking simple sometimes. It comes down to: Are you sleeping? Are you eating? There's just basic, core fundamentals, and when that stuff isn't being met, it's a domino effect. Everything else starts to get f*cked up too. I started actually being mindful, not just with my protein intake, but also my fiber intake. I wasn't getting any fiber for years. I don't want to have to change my whole lifestyle. I'm not suddenly going to start eating breakfast, but maybe I will have a smoothie with protein in it or a David protein bar or just something so that I can function.

David is changing the narrative around protein bars. They don’t have many calories. And I like the idea of tying it to pleasure.

It has to have pleasure. That's also why I love all the Lemme stuff because it tastes like candy. You'll be getting your vitamins, but it also feels like a little sweet treat. That's very much my sweet spot. I don't want anything in my life to feel like a chore, or to feel like something I have to do. With my ADHD, I need to get some sort of reward for me to want to do something. So it works. It's so f*cking good. It tastes as good as a Snicker if not better, which is crazy. All the other protein bars just taste too… I don't know, too nutty or they just taste like Splenda. I need real sugar.

I also love that the campaign is in the style of a confessional. When was the last time you did an actual confessional in a church? Can you even remember?

Oh my God. Not since high school. Not since Catholic school. No, I can't. Trauma. Not for me!

Catholic guilt is very real.

It's so real. That's why Catholic people have so many issues.

I think it was fun that you turned it on its head and made it a sexy moment with the candle dripping. It made me laugh.

I love that the whole creative brief was very much tied into elements of who I am and my lived experience. So it was just fun to rewrite that a little bit. But yeah, I completely agree. Catholicism is weird.

What is giving you satisfaction these days?

I mean, on a broader scale, I said 2026 was going to be the year that I only did what I wanted to do. I was going to be more selfish, say no more, and do things that I'm passionate about — my own creative pursuits and endeavors — and get back to who I am fundamentally as a person and an artist. With motherhood and how crazy the last couple of years have been, I feel like I've been doing what I think I'm supposed to be doing, but none of it's bringing me joy. I'm on a pursuit of joy. In terms of guilty pleasures, I don't think there's such a thing. I think all pleasures are valid and you shouldn't feel bad for indulging. I'm still very much indulging the same as I always have.

Doing things that only you want to do.

Exactly. And that spark joy. If I'm not happy to be there, then I do not need to be there.

For you, in the first few days of 2026, what is on your It List?

I'm excited for A$AP Rocky's new album. I love his music and I love everything he does, all the time. I think he's such a cool artist. What else? Oh, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City finale.

Of course. That was crazy.

That was insanity. Obsessed with them. They're amazing.

Who's your favorite?

Oh my God, who's my favorite? It's hard. I feel like I cycle through them. Right now, I really, really am into Britani. She's a sleeper hit. You don't think you're going to love it as much as you do, and then you do. She's just so ridiculous. I'm obsessed. And then I'm Lisa Barlow for life. She lives a very different life from all of them.