Heather Matarazzo rose to fame in The Princess Diaries. She's sick of 'struggling to survive' in Hollywood.

For any Princess Diaries fans, Heather Matarazzo's face is one they will immediately recognise.

She was in the hit film alongside Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway and Mandy Moore, where Matarazzo played Anne Hathaway's character's best friend Lilly Moscovitz. And what an iconic role it was.

Over the years, Matarazzo has gone on to act in a few TV shows and movies, most notably Scream, and a few guest roles in Roseanne, Law & Order, The L Word and Greys Anatomy.

Despite being quite recognisable, and having featured in some of these massively successful projects, Matarazzo says earning a living as a mid-level actor is extremely hard. 

Watch the trailer for Princess Diaries. Post continues below.

Interestingly, her hit movies Scream, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2 are all now available to stream on platforms - and have likely been watched millions of times. 

When it comes to TV shows on cable networks, the stars of these shows are paid residuals when repeat episodes of the show air on television. For a lot of mid-level actors, this forms a large part of their salary - like people in sales with commissions. 

But now that streaming giants have entered the picture, it means those residual checks for TV shows and movies being streamed online aren't at all comparable to cable. And it's left a lot of actors in the lurch.

Recently Matarazzo responded to a comment from a random online who criticised her and other actors that are striking. 

The comment read: "What are you elites doing for the struggling Americans that contributed to your wealth? Majority of working citizens have more oppression than you?"

She replied in a TikTok video, showing a screenshot of some of her recent residuals - which included her earning just six cents and nine cents for certain projects. 

@heathermatarazz Replying to @Derek Scheller #greenscreen ♬ original sound - HeatherMatarazzo

@heathermatarazz Day 15. #unionstrong #sagaftrastrike #wgastrike ♬ Gonna Roll The Union On - Woody Guthrie

"Really? Really?" she said in the video. "Do those look like elite numbers? I am a working-class actor, sir, as are the majority of the actors that are in the f**king union."

Recently she shared on Twitter just how challenging getting acting work has been, let alone a stable income.

"I feel at a loss because I feel I have done THE WORK, for a long time, with no complaint. I have taken the disappointments, the rejections, etc., and maintained that rejection is redirection," she said.

"I've given my life to acting for over 30 years. And am done struggling just to survive."

Matarazzo has been active on the picket lines in recent weeks, saying she is "proud to stand with my union families".

"So proud to be a member of SAG-AFTRA and proud that our leadership has stepped up to the plate and drawn a clear line in the sand. We all deserve a living wage. We all deserve to be treated with a modicum of decency and respect," she said via an Instagram post.

Matarazzo is one of thousands of actors who have been striking in the past few weeks during the SAG-AFTRA actors strike.

We've also seen Harrison Ford's incredible stunt double strike. Stunt coordinator Mike Massa stole the show, striding across the stage in flames while holding a "SAG-AFTRA on Strike" sign. 

The flames were of course a stunt and done safely. But it certainly was a strong message - pay stunt actors better or risk the industry going up in metaphorical flames.

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The Bear's Jeremy Allen White has also hit the picket lines with his former Shameless co-stars, along with Mandy Moore, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Kerry Washington and Vanessa Hudgens.

Most recently at a rally, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston was on the stage and had a strong message for the executives and head honchos in Hollywood.

"We ask you to hear us, and beyond that to listen to us, when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots," he said. "We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly and most importantly, we will not allow you to take away our dignity."

Cranston ended the speech by saying: "We are union, through and through, all the way to the end. Stay together. We will win this fight."

Read more:

• Hollywood actors are officially going on strike. Here's what it means for TV and film.
• 'You would die.' This Orange is the New Black actor just shared her salary, and it's dire.
• 'I'm an Aussie writer on strike. For my last job, part of my payment was a basket of cheese.'

Feature Image: Instagram/Walt Disney Pictures.

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