Drea de Matteo Joined OnlyFans After Not Following Hollywood Rules: 'I Don't Want to Be at the Mercy of Mandates'

In an interview with Fox News Digital, The Sopranos star revealed she decided to make a career change and create an account on the adult subscription service after she said she was labeled a "savage" in the industry due to her stance on vaccine mandates.

"I didn't know this was going to have to be a change of life, you know, all of a sudden that during a time I'm supposed to be relaxing a little bit, that I would have to switch careers and figure new things out because my own industry thinks I'm, you know, a savage," said de Matteo.

"I guess you could say I was a bad girl because I did not follow the rules a couple of years ago. So, I don't want to be at the mercy of mandates or strike or anything like that ever again," she added, referring to Covid-19 vaccine mandates in Hollywood, per Fox News Digital, in addition to the ongoing Hollywood strike.

The Emmy winner -- who is best known for playing Adriana La Cerva on The Sopranos --  claimed her agent dropped her as a client, and said she "almost lost our home over it."

"People find that hard to believe that I was never really paid very much money for any of the jobs I've done," de Matteo shared. "People think I'm f--king made of gold, and I'm not. I’ve worked job to job. And I've turned down tons of jobs in the past just to be with my children because their dad's on the road, and he's not around as much."

The Sons of Anarchy star has voiced her support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known for being against vaccines and promoting conspiracy theories about public health. She has also spoken out against Covid-19 mandates and protocols on film and TV sets.

Last month, de Matteo shared the news that she started an OnlyFans. She said she's received backlash over her decision, but "[doesn't care]" about the criticism.

"I know some people have said some nasty things about me having joined OnlyFans. But, you know, the way we see it in this house is mommy's a warrior, not accepting defeat," she  said. "I figured, 'OK, so everybody's in their underwear and being sexy on Instagram and I don't do that, but I can do that and get paid for it.' … I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner."

de Matteo said her children -- Alabama, 15, and Waylon AKA "Blackjack," 12, -- encouraged her to join the platform in the first place.

"My kids were the ones that were like, 'Do it.' She'll [de Matteo’s daughter] edit the pictures, too, because they want certain things that we haven't been able to do," she told Fox News Digital. "I used to have a lot of money. And then, all of a sudden, I went from being allowed to work to never being allowed to work again. I was never the kind of actor that took jobs just to stay in the business. I literally took jobs to feed my family."

She added, "So, when people make nasty comments about why I would have done that, my response is, 'Damn straight, I hope you're never in the f--king position I'm in. I take care of an entire family and a lot of other people who depend on me."