Pirate queen Carmen paid €14k per word - or €200 for tiring day
Killing Eve and Pirates of the Caribbean actress Carmen Montero loved living in Ireland for several years. She has worked on film with Sacha Baron Cohen (Grimsby), with top Irish director Lennie Abrahamson and on many Spanish TV series. She shares the financial ups and downs of acting – where pay can vary from €200 for a long day’s work to €14000 for a single word. After growing up in a restaurant-owning family in Granada, she also has a handy tip for Irish restaurateurs frustrated at dealing with 'no-shows’. A few months ago, at the height of the Covid-19 crisis, under lockdown and with the streets of Madrid eerily deserted, came a unique opportunity to re-connect with her Irish friends and colleagues…and a past “lockdown" in the 14th Century….through a new project now available free online.
Have you ever been paid silly money?
I did an ad in Ireland (for Hidden Hearing, directed by Lennie Abrahamson, of Normal People fame) where I had to work three hours. They picked me up at one and I was home at 4. I played a language student and I had to say one word – “verb”. I got paid €5k in year one and then every year another €3k for three years in a row for the rights. Not bad for just one word!
What about Pirates of the Caribbean? How much were you paid for that?
That was a bit more work! I was Penelope Cruz’s stand in because she was pregnant at the time. I got €20,000 but I had to share with two agencies, so I received €10,000.
How do you cope with the irregular income. Does that make you more careful with money – or less?
It makes me careful. I value my independence and want to live well. When necessary, I have also done other work parallel to acting.
How does pay vary in acting?
The lowest rates are €200 a day up to several thousand for a good role. It depends if you are a main character or in a one-off episode in a TV series.What did your parents teach you about money?
We had a restaurant in Granada where I worked every day after school. We were very comfortable but not extravagant. They taught me to be careful with money.
What was your first job?
My first real paid work was as in brand promotion. It wasn’t badly paid. I had to give people a gift to get them to sign up for a bank card. Not too bad for a first job.
Restaurants here want to charge for people who book and don’t show up. It’s a big problem. As someone who grew up in a restaurant-owning family would you agree with that?
Restaurants in Spain are really struggling too. They cannot open fully, people are complaining….They don’t want to wear masks. But here, they keep the table for maybe 15 minutes and if you don’t show up, they give it away to someone else.
Are you spender or saver?
I would never spend money beyond my means and buy a €20,000 handbag, for example! But I am not a saver either.
What was your best investment?
My best investments were in my acting career…to study drama at the Eduardo Recabarren School of Drama in Madrid for example. Also the many other courses I did to improve my skills.
Is the industry starting to pick up again?
Yes. (In Madrid), we are building a super large set just for filming Netflix productions. I think streaming platforms are probably the future.
You lived in Ireland for several years. Are we bad or good with money?
Irish culture is really similar to Spanish. You are very friendly. Everybody buys a round which means you can drink and spend a lot. I drink a half pint but often found myself staring at full pints waiting! In Spain we just share the bill at the end.
So, your latest project is DeCameraOn, an Irish series available free on You tube?
Yes. It started off as a way to beat lockdown boredom. I wasn’t even meeting anyone when I took my dog for a walk. The streets (of Madrid) were deserted..it was so eery. So when (director) Declan (Cassidy) called with a project, I was delighted, especially as it connects with a lockdown from seven centuries ago.
It is based on a medieval novel - The Decameron – a series of stories told by ten people cocooning from the ‘black death’ as it swept through Florence in 1348. Tell us more.
There are ten actors who come up with their own (ten minute) stories to share (on Zoom) with the aim of winning a fictitious €100k prize voted on by the audience. Because of the lockdown we could meet at the same time from different parts of the world. It’s like there are really no frontiers any more in time and distance.
Is this the future?
The lockdown showed we can work remotely and have more time with our families. I think for the future in my industry, it will be great for auditions. I will be shooting in Serbia soon and will need to do an audition for another production. Why not just do it remotely?
Ever been ripped off as a consumer?
I bought online jewelry. It came two months later and two weeks after that the ring broke.
What did you do?They didn’t have any phone number. So I sent an email and got no response. Then I left a review on Facebook and Instagram and they got back straightaway and sent me a new ring. But then that one broke in half!
That figures. A recent survey we highlighted showed that two thirds of online goods are shoddy.
What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun? I bought a motorbike, a Yamaha XSR 700 a few weeks ago (for €8k). I don’t like spending money on big brand names or fancy handbags, but a motorbike is something that I will use – and enjoy!
Do you save into a pension? No. Never.
What is your financial plan for the future? To receive a call from Tarantino to work in his next movie!
Carmen’s latest project – DeCameraOn - is now available online for free in ten minute episodes. To view it go to:
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