In Hollywood, only a handful actors can truly say that they’ve been around. One of them is Anna Chlumsky, whose acting career goes all the way back to the late '80s. After getting much success in entertainment early on though, Chlumsky decided to take a break from acting to finish school. Once she returned, the actress found herself in the spotlight again after accepting a role that was written for her in the HBO comedy VEEP.Of course, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selena Meyer was the heartbeat of the show but Chlumsky’s performance as chief of staff Amy Brookheimer stands out too.In fact, throughout her time on VEEP, Chlumsky scored six Emmy nods (overall, the show received 68 nominations and 17 wins). And by the time she wrapped up her time on the show (VEEP ended after seven seasons), the actress had amassed quite an impressive net worth.
Getting Back Into Acting Wasn’t As Easy As It Sounds
When Chlumsky made her debut on VEEP, the actress certainly made it look like getting back in the game was easy. But as it turns out, even for someone who started out as a hit child star, the industry can still be quite brutal.
After Chlumsky graduated with a degree in international relations at University of Chicago, she initially planned to embrace a new future for herself, having “written off acting” altogether. And while she did not end up doing government work, as she initially thought, the actress secured a job as a fact-checker for Zagat.
But then, the job wasn’t exactly everything she had hoped for. “So of course you get the job at the food guide and then you realize that it's really just a polling agency ...,” Chlumsky told ABC News. “They don't write the food stuff, they just gather. ... So I was a step above a telemarketer.”
At some point, the actress decided to quit and get back to acting again. And while she did get in touch with her old agency, Chlumsky decided to perform for free to get the ball rolling.
“I did 10 free shows back to back,” she recalled. “Some of which were great and some of which were horrible.” It may have been fun, but the actress even ran out of money for rent at one point.
Luckily, Chlumsky’s mom helped her out for month. Soon after, the actress finally booked a paying gig, an indie film. Since then, Chlumsky got her groove back.
Anna Chlumsky Landed Other Notable Roles After VEEP
As far as fans are concerned, Chlumsky has one of the most successful Hollywood comeback stories out there (her contemporary, Macaulay Culkin, tried to stage a comeback, but he couldn’t replicate his Home Alone success). And perhaps, even more importantly, the actress made it clear that she wasn’t going anywhere even after VEEP ended.
For starters, she got into the podcast game, voicing for the comedy 64th Man with John Cena. Around the same time, Chlumsky voiced the part of Charlotte in the Nickelodeon series Rugrats.
Soon after, the actress landed a role in Shonda Rhimes’ latest Netflix series Inventing Anna as reporter Vivian (which is based on real-life journalist Jessica Pressler). And while Chlumsky was no stranger to the Hollywood casting process, this one caught her slightly off-guard.
For starters, Rhimes and her team didn’t exactly tell her they were meeting about the show or any role in it. Rather, Chlumsky attended a “general meeting.”
“I was sitting there thinking the role wasn't available and it was just to showcase what Shonda was up to,” the actress recalled during an interview with BuzzFeed.
“Then, Shonda asked me what I thought of the script and I don't think I had even finished it at the time. I was just crazy about her approach to this type of story. We both dished about how much we love limited series, and by the end, I knew I wanted to work for Shonda and specifically on this project. Then, I found out they wanted me for it too.”
Here’s Where Anna Chlumsky’s Net Worth Stands Today
Estimates indicate that Chlumsky is currently worth anywhere between $3 and $5 million today. Though her actual salary from VEEP was never disclosed, it is likely that her rate was at par with series lead Louis-Dreyfus who was reportedly paid $500,000 per episode during the show’s later seasons.
It's also worth noting that the show’s core cast – which include Louis-Dreyfus, Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, and Timothy Simons – received “substantial salary increases” ahead of the show’s seventh and final season. Chlumsky’s season 7 contract, along with Scott and Simons’, reportedly closed soon after Louis-Dreyfus signed hers.
Meanwhile, after Inventing Anna, fans can look forward to seeing Chlumsky in the upcoming Blumhouse horror film Whistler Camp (the title of film will reportedly be changed). The actress will also be joined by Kevin Bacon and Carrie Preston.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiYp6aRYrCpuNSmqqSxXaOytXnWqKmtoF2Ws7Wx0Watnp2gZA%3D%3D