Drea de Matteo Reflects on Acting Career and New Podcast

Drea de Matteo, well-known for her role in “The Sopranos,” has shared that acting was never her initial career aspiration. In fact, she admitted, “I had no interest in it at all.” Post-“Sopranos,” she wasn’t particularly eager to take on more roles, only doing so when absolutely necessary to make ends meet. The Hollywood grind held little allure for her.

Now, she’s launching a podcast titled “super free podcasts.” She expressed a sense of destiny, saying, “I always knew that when I needed to pay a bill, it would happen.” But then, the pandemic changed everything.

De Matteo’s life was turned upside down as COVID-19 disrupted her routine and that of her boyfriend, who had to leave his band. This financial strain pushed her to join OnlyFans after facing foreclosure on her home. “The breaking point was when I had to join OnlyFans to protect my home,” the actress stated, highlighting her frustration with the situation at the time.

Amid the pandemic, she found it difficult to return to acting, especially since she’d been vocal about her views on vaccines. “I think I was too, I don’t know, transparent,” she reflected, hinting at her hesitance to dive back into the industry.

Initially, her podcast idea stemmed from her OnlyFans involvement, which was meant to be a subscription-based podcast free from censorship. “We wanted to discuss the real politics of the time,” she explained, expressing relief that they didn’t go through with that approach. The conversation surrounding vaccines, she noted, has become overly politicized, yet she views these topics as fundamentally about humanity.

As she navigated the challenges of the pandemic, De Matteo recounted how she went from middle class to feeling lost and broke. “I don’t care what anybody thinks. Look, I care about my kids, that’s all,” she remarked, underscoring her priorities. The fallout from refusing the vaccine led her to lose her agent, and even her manager distanced himself from her, leaving her in a difficult spot financially as she juggled family responsibilities, including caring for her mother.

Eventually, she parted ways with her manager, realizing that he wasn’t supportive during her struggles. Speaking about her upcoming ULTRAFREE PODCAST, which debuts on Monday, de Matteo indicated that while it will be a controversial topic, it won’t feature celebrity guests. “There’s a lot of people talking about the same things,” she noted, emphasizing her need to keep the conversation going.