“Just Because You’re In A Movie, Doesn’t Mean You’re Rich”: Lisa Ann Walter Just Got Real About The Financial Reality Of Being An Actor

For example, in 2022, Sydney Sweeney caused a furor when she said that she couldn’t afford to take a six-month break from acting if she were to have a baby.

By this point, the star was already a household name, but she revealed exactly where her money goes in an eye-opening interview with the Hollywood Reporter. 

She said: “I have to give five percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, three percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that's more than my mortgage.”

More recently, Sydney’s Euphoria costar Nika King joked about being unable to pay her rent after failing to book other acting jobs between seasons.

Pedro Pascal also opened up about his career being saved by a well-timed residual check from Buffy the Vampire Slayer when he was left with just $7 in his bank account and was facing moving out of Hollywood as he struggled to pay rent.

While she has appeared in other movies and TV shows over the years, released a book, and performed standup comedy, it was Abbott Elementary being picked up for a fourth season in February that made the biggest difference to her financial situation.

Lisa Ann plays second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti in the hit ABC show. 

“I wasn’t a star; I was the woman that made you cry in The Parent Trap, and you’re still looking for a job next week,” Lisa Ann told People. “So honestly, feeling safe? The season four pickup of Abbott.”

“Just because you're in a movie, doesn't mean you're rich,” she explained. “I had not been able to afford taking my kids on a vacation outside of taking them to the San Diego Zoo or to go skiing locally. This was the first time I was able to have everybody go on a trip.”

In the same interview, Lisa Ann recalled working the comedy circuit until three days before giving birth to her daughter in 1992. She then returned to work just five weeks later “because we had bills.” 

And while Lisa Ann believes that Chessy may have been enough to secure her a spot in the “In Memoriam” segment at the Oscars, it’s Abbott that has made her feel the most secure in her career. 

“I think I'm good, for a few years anyway. And maybe that's because I don't have as many years left," she said. “And that's the thing I just say: ‘You just can't quit.'"

"You don't know when your moment's going to happen," Lisa Ann added. "You just can't give up. You have to get out of your own way and just do that thing.”