Former soap star Kelli Hollis has opened up about her time on Emmerdale and has shared some surprising behind-the-scenes secrets about how much the cast really get paid
Former Emmerdale star Kelli Hollis has revealed how much soap actors can expect to earn.
The 49-year-old actress, who once graced our screens as Ali Spencer on the ITV show until 2018, now leads a vastly different life running her own ‘weed bar’ in Thailand, having sworn never to return to the UK after finding bliss in Asia.
However, she’s been answering fans’ queries, with no topic off-limits. Kelli was put on the spot by a follower on social media about her earnings during her time on the soap, and she didn’t hold back. She gave a breakdown of the contracts and potential earnings for stars of Emmerdale and other soaps.
“On Emmerdale I explained that you get an episode fee and you’re guaranteed so many episodes a year,” she shared. “So if we’re saying roughly £500 and up [per episode], and you were contracted to do 90 [episodes, that’s 45k, it’s obviously a good wage.
“But it’s not like the ‘rich, rich’ you’d think famous actors would be earning. Now, that’s that sort of middle of the road [salary]. I’m not going to lie when I was at Emmerdale to my knowledge, one of the highest paid actors was on a thousand pound episodes,” reports the Mirror.
The ex-soap star added that you “never know for sure” what your colleagues are earning because “everybody was paid differently”. But it’s not all rosy, as she revealed: “So, yeah, it would only be 45, but then you get a buyout, which is pretty much the same as your wage, so I’ll top that up to 90.
“Then, you’ve got the agent’s commission, which is usually 12 and a half percent,” she explained. “And because you’re self-employed, you have to put 40 [per cent] away for tax.”
Kelli maintains contact with her former co-stars and values her time on the show.
The ex-soap actress confessed that while she misses the UK, she has no intention of returning and can’t envision herself back in the hustle and bustle. “I am never coming home, never going home. Obviously, I miss England and there are aspects of my life there like I have two grown-up children at home and a grandson.
“But you only live once and I have learned that a lot over the last few years, losing friends to things and my friend losing a child and it just makes you access a lot of things in your life.
“You just have to do what you have to do because you are not promised tomorrow are you? My mentality now is I am nearly 50 f*** it will just do it. There is no point having that ‘oh god I can’t do this and I can’t do that’ attitude. I have been so fortunate in my life that opportunities have come my way,” she shared with the Daily Star.
“I remember being at a friend’s house in Beeston and I am not going to name them because I don’t know where they are now or what they are doing so I won’t grass them up,” she added.
“It was 20 odd years ago, oh god, it would be more than 20 odd years ago, but I just remember being about 15 and being at a mate’s house and I already had started smoking with mates in the park and all that. I remember it being hash that you burn and I just remember a lot of blistered fingers and a lot of holes in my clothes.”
Kelli recounted her experience: “I was just smoking a little bit here and there but as a youngster, I would never have been a big heavy smoker. I actually don’t like the feeling of being stoned and I know some people do.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
