Before filming Uncut Gems, Julia never took a single acting lesson. She even asked Josh Safdie whether she needed some professional training, and he discouraged her from taking lessons. As she explained to Cosmopolitan, "I knew that even if I was doubting myself, the fact that [Josh] believed in me so much kind of made me feel like, Okay, I can do this, because I trust him, trust his opinion and judgement and intuition."