Despite appearing in acclaimed series, Tullock revealed she has faced serious financial hardship—including running out of money and even sleeping in her car. She also warned that even successful actors risk losing basic benefits like health insurance due to the industry’s inconsistent income structure.
“Financial restraints have shaped every aspect of my life,” she said. “You could be making more money — which is great — but you’re paying lawyers, managers, agents, publicists, sometimes stylists out of pocket. The more you make, the more you have to make to keep it up.”
Tullock explained that maintaining a career in Hollywood comes with steep overheads that aren’t always optional. “Those things sound elective or by choice, but they’re not. They’re part of keeping the train going,” she noted.
She also shed light on the flawed system linking health coverage through the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) to quarterly earnings. “You could be on the highest-grossing show in the country and still lose your health insurance because you didn’t technically bring in enough income that quarter,” she said.
Tullock didn’t shy away from the emotional toll of financial instability. “The greatest shame I’ve ever experienced in my life has been around money,” she admitted. “I did run out of money. I did sleep in my car a couple times.”The actor credited therapy as a crucial tool for managing the stress and anxiety that come with financial uncertainty. “It took me years to get to the point where, in a moment of financial tumult, I didn’t go into total fight-or-flight mode,” she said.
