Matthew Fox Talks Return to TV After 'Retiring' from Small Screen: 'It Felt Like the Right Time'

Vanessa Etienne
·3 min read
2
Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox

Arnold Jerocki/WireImage

After over a decade away from the small screen, Matthew Fox is opening up about his big return to television.

On Saturday, the 55-year-old Party of Five star discussed his decision to step away from acting as well as come out of "retirement" for his upcoming role in the Peacock limited series Last Light, based on the international best-selling novel of the same name by Alex Scarrow.

"I kind of had a bucket list in my mind of things that I wanted to accomplish in the business, and after I did Bone Tomahawk in 2014 that had kind of completed the bucket list," Fox said at the Monte-Carlo Film Festival over the weekend, Variety reported. "I wanted to do a Western. It's a very odd Western, but it's a Western. And so that sort of completed the bucket list."

"At that time in my life, our kids were at an age where I felt like I needed to really reengage," he continued. "I had been focused on work for some time, and [my wife] Margherita had been running the family so beautifully, but I felt like it was time to be home, and I really felt like I was retiring from the business, and working on other creative elements that are really personal to me – some music and writing."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Last Light
Last Light

Orion

However, Fox told reporters that things changed when he got the opportunity to be both the executive producer and star of Last Light.

"I kind of got to a point where I thought that maybe the bucket list included executive producing," he said. "I'd never done that before. The opportunity to be involved in 'Last Light' came along, and so I wanted to give it a shot. And it felt like the right time."

"So it just all kind of came together. It felt like it was the moment to jump back in, and see how it felt to be in front of a camera again, and to act again," Fox added. "And it was surprisingly rewarding. And I felt really good doing it, and with this incredible group of people, and the collaborative aspect of it, and how well we all bonded, how much we believed in the project. And it turned out to be a fantastic experience."

RELATED: Where Are They Now? The Cast of Lost

Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox

Ilya S. Savenok/Getty

Fox's casting in the limited series marks his first role on TV since ABC's hit show Lost, which ran from 2004 until 2010. Since then, the actor has remained largely away from the spotlight, with a smattering of film roles including the 2013 zombie movie World War Z, in which many of his scenes were cut.

Last Light will tell the story of Andy Neilson, "one of the world's leading petro-chemical engineers," who is separated from his family when the world's oil supply is suddenly interrupted, according to a synopsis provided by Peacock.

"Last Light is the perfect combination of an action-packed limited series with a compelling family drama at its heart," Lisa Katz, president scripted content, NBCUniversal television and streaming, said in a statement.

"Led by fan-favorites Matthew Fox and Joanne Froggatt, this sweeping international saga spans several continents that provide a stunning global backdrop, yet is grounded in a relatable and topical story. We can't wait to share this with Peacock audiences."

"This is a timely thriller about society's dependency on oil and its devastating effects on our planet," added Rola Bauer, president of MGM International TV Productions, which is co-producing the series.