How much do Czech actors earn? Serials bring in hundreds of thousands, while the theater barely covers costs

While serial roles bring actors income in the order of hundreds of thousands of crowns per month, the situation on the stage is significantly less rosy. The actors themselves draw attention to the difference between these two worlds - without embellishments and honestly.

Krejčíková: I'm a soul artist, money disappears between my fingers

Actress Aneta Krejčíková, best known for her long-time work in the series Ulice, in a recent interview for the Hypotécast podcast, openly admitted that although she earns up to 150,000 crowns a month from acting, saving is still not a matter of course for her.

"When I have money in my account, I just spend it. I don't count, I don't plan. And when it runs out? I'll be a little modest. But I always manage somehow," she described her approach.

Although she would like to start saving, she is also dealing with fundamental life changes. After breaking up with her partner Ondřej Rančák, with whom she is raising two children, they still live under the same roof. However, Aneta is looking for a new home of her own - but as she admits, in Prague, given the prices, this is an almost superhuman task.

"I want something of my own, but the facts surprised me. Credit, technical status, legal side - it's a lot of information. But I take it responsibly, it's about me and the children," he says.

How much can you really earn from acting?

The amount of fees in TV series will surprise many. According to earlier information, for example, Eva Burešová earned 16 thousand crowns per shooting day during the filming of the popular Sunny. For twelve days a month, this means almost 200 thousand crowns.

Her colleague had a slightly lower rate – around 15 thousand a day. David Prachař or Filip Blažek were among the best paid, with rewards exceeding 16,000 crowns per day of work.

In contrast, the incomes of theater actors seem almost symbolic. Albert Čuba, actor and founder of Ostrava's Mír Theatre, stated in the U kulatého stolu podcast that the average salary at the National Theater is around 32,000 kroner a month - even for top actors with decades of experience.

"Theaters are bound by table salaries. The fact that an actor performs at a high level does not have a significant impact on the remuneration," pointed out Čuba.

Theatre as a heart, not a source of livelihood

Actress Veronika Žilková has let it be known in the past that theater rehearsals often take place without the right to a fee. The actor earns roughly 1,000 to 2,000 crowns for the performance itself. Salaries are usually even lower when employed - Žilková stated in 2011 that after thirty years of experience, she earned CZK 18,000 gross as a civil servant.

So the reality clearly shows: TV and film roles are a major source of income for most actors. For them, theater is more a matter of the heart than of the wallet.