Last Light: Matthew Fox talks his return to TV, and why now

After 12 years, Matthew Fox has returned to TV in the limited series Last Light. In this exclusive interview, he shares why now was the right time.

Matthew Fox is best known for Party of Five and Lost, but he’s taken a 12-year break. Much of the break came down to him finishing his bucket list of projects he wanted to do and wanting to spend more time with his family. However, it’s time for him to come back.

As excited as we are, we had to know why now. Why Last Light? During our interview, he shared it was the story.

"“The story, and the timeliness of the story, and the backdrop of this story…there were a lot of elements of the story I was attracted to. It was also a logistic thing.”"

Fans of the novel by Alex Scarrow will know the basics of this storyline. It is a timely story with the way the world is so reliant on oil. What if oil suddenly stopped working the way that it was supposed to? We’ve seen how small fluctuations cause problems, and growing up in Britain, I will still remember the fuel strikes in the ’90s and the effect that had on everyday life.

Fox did share that it felt good to be back on set. We have to remember that acting is a job for actors, and like all of us in jobs, we can get fed up with some of the things going on around us. It turns out that acting hasn’t always been “super fun” for Fox, and he was surprised by how acting on Last Light was so much fun. His fellow cast members certainly helped.

A chance to executive produce Last Light

Fox shared that it was the chance to produce as well as the chance to act. Once he learned he would get the chance to do that on Last Light, he was excited to get that opportunity.

What was the return to set like? Well, it turns out a lot has changed behind the scenes since Fox was last on a set.

"“The cameras have gotten all digital, and there are no cords. Everything’s remote control and wireless. There were a lot of cool things about stepping back on a set and seeing how much technology has affected filmmaking.”"

Despite being an EP, Fox didn’t spend any time with the source material. Considering the changes to the story, that’s not all too surprising. If you’ve read the book, you’ll see exactly what I mean when it comes to the series.

It turns out that director Dennie Gordon recommended the actors avoid the source material, and that was probably because of the major changes. This allowed the actors to just focus on the scripts, and Fox shared that they all workshopped the characters and their relationships, which was fun to do.

What did you think of Last Light by Alex Scarrow? Are you excited to see Matthew Fox back on our screens? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Last Light debuts on Peacock on Thursday, Sept. 8.