Drea De Matteo Explains What’s Bringing In More Cash Than Her Biggest TV Roles Ever Did

She’s earning more money now than during her huge TV career

Maryjane

• Published in Film & TV
• October 4, 2024

People have businesses or pages that earns them more money than what they're known for. And it is no different for the actor, Drea De Matteo.

Matteo is an actor who gained fame for her role as Adriana La Cerva in the venerable HBO series The Sopranos. She has previously talked about how OnlyFans not only provided her with financial independence but also helped her avoid the "shifty s**t" that occurs in Hollywood.

The 52-year-old actor says that, to a certain extent, she "was always paid the lowest to act" and "never got paid a lot." Despite being one of the most well-known American crime drama shows ever, The Sopranos didn't have a lot of when Matteo started working on the ser.

She tells Metro saying:

"I was a day player, then I became a recurring [character] – they were hard-nosed, the way they negotiated with us. It wasn’t until the end of The Sopranos that I was actually making a normal episodic pay."

And Matteo said it wasn't just that gig that didn't pay that well. Matteo asserts that 'FX didn't really pay [her] at all' for Sons of Anarchy.

The 52-year-old has been in some of the biggest shows of our time

After Sons of Anarchy, Matteo worked on Desperate Housewives, but she points out that it was a "one-year contract" with a "lower pay scale." Matteo also pointed out that while working on Joey, an American comedy and Friends spinoff, she received "probably the most decent pay [she] had because she was on network TV for 21 episodes."

However, she didn't make even a small portion of what she does now with OnlyFans from any of her TV appearances.

"It wasn’t until the end of The Sopranos that I was actually making a normal episodic pay"

"I never really made a ton of money, so yes, I made more money on OnlyFans. It’s a true story. I know that sounds crazy but it’s not sustainable money for the long term."

After almost losing her property, the actor started her OnlyFans campaign, stating that her children had teased her to "just put [her] feet up there" and "save the house." She also added:

"Did I want to do it? F**k no, I didn’t want to do it. I was totally anonymous. I never anticipated being thrown to the wolves the way I was when it came out," she continued.

Desperate times calls for desperate measures

In response to those who have called her "desperate," Matteo stated that she was, "100% desperate," and that "desperate times call for desperate measures." She went further to add:

"I hope that any of the haters out there that have said s**t like that don’t ever find themselves in the same position I was in. I embraced it, because what was I going to do?"

Also, the actor has discovered "a little community of folks that tune in" and come to "talk to [her] about The Sopranos and politics.

Watch her interview below

"For the most part, it’s a fan page. It’s given me the financial freedom to say, “F**k Hollywood,” She added. Matteo said that she will continue to embrace herself and the freedom the platform has provided her, both monetarily and physically, even though she won't be able to use it for "much longer" because she is "getting old."

The important thing now is that Matteo is doing what is matters to her and that's that!

Maryjane