“People find that hard to believe that I was never really paid very much money for any of the jobs I’ve done,” Sopranos actress Drea de Matteo said about her decision to post racy content on subscription site OnlyFans. “People think I’m f***ing made of gold, and I’m not. I’ve worked job to job.”
OnlyFans started in 2016 and quickly gained notoriety as a place people could view NSFW content. Celebrities who have embraced the platform include Denise Richards, Cardi B, Bella Thorne, Tyga and Chris Brown.
De Matteo told Fox News Digital that her own decision to join sprang from a production slowdown during the pandemic, what she says is a loss of work due to her vaccine stance and, above all else, a desire to take care of her kids.
“Things have changed in the last three years. My kids have always been my No. 1 focus,” she said. “I’ve turned down tons of jobs in the past just to be with my children because their dad [musician Shooter Jennings] is on the road, and he’s not around as much.”
As for judgements others may have about her work on OnlyFans, De Matteo is pragmatic.
“I just don’t care. I don’t. I’d rather save my family than save face.”
She continued, “I know some people have said some nasty things about me having joined OnlyFans. But, you know, the way we see it in this house is mommy’s a warrior, not accepting defeat.”
Defeat was a very real possibility. At 51, she says, her agent dropped her and because of her vax stance, she had a hard time getting work and almost lost her home over it.
“I guess you could say I was a bad girl because I did not follow the rules a couple of years ago. So, I don’t want to be at the mercy of mandates or strike or anything like that ever again.”
De Matteo played Adriana the first five seasons of The Sopranos. After Adriana became an informant for the FBI, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) ordered her killed. Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) murdered her in a memorable episode, but de Matteo returned for two episodes in season 6. She won an Emmy for the role in 2004.
After The Sopranos, de Matteo appeared on shows such as Desperate Housewives and Sons of Anarchy, among others.
