The Mail on Sunday

I had a pixie cut . . . and then never stopped working!

Actress Victoria Summer tells how she turned her finances

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THE best money decision that actress Victoria Summer ever made was cutting off her hair. Summer, star of Saving Mr Banks and Transforme­rs: Age Of Extinction, was convinced by a photograph­er to get a pixie cut in 2012. She says it propelled her career to new heights. The 38-year-old spoke to DONNA FERGUSON from Italy where she is on an extended holiday with fiance Fabrizio Vaccaro, also 38. The couple met in March, just before lockdown. Q What did your parents teach you about money?

A TO CUT my cloth according to my means. My father worked in the mailroom of a bank and was old-fashioned when it came to money. He never spent money that he didn’t have. That is the principle he taught me. My mum was an estate agent until she and Dad separated when I was eight. Then she became a school secretary. Money was definitely tight.

My parents had quite a bad divorce. They fought over custody of me and my brother, and also over maintenanc­e. Finances were always quite a big issue in my family. It was tough for Mum trying to manage on her own. It taught me that I don’t ever want that to be a problem in my own life. I value my financial independen­ce. As a result of a difficult upbringing and a challengin­g childhood, it made me want to be successful. My experience­s have driven me to persist and succeed.

Q Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

A ABSOLUTELY, especially when I arrived in Hollywood in 2008. I went there with a couple of suitcases and a dream of starting out in film. It was a gamble. I was 27 and had been working on stage in the West End so I could get a working visa for ‘extraordin­ary ability’.

Obviously I had to hustle. I went on all the casting websites in Hollywood looking for any work. I remember taking a small, badly paid job as an extra for a tequila commercial. I drove all the way to Mexico for $200 (£150).

Soon, I started getting voiceover jobs and singing gigs, but not enough to make ends meet. So, for about two years, I worked for a family in Beverly Hills. I would eat with the kids so I didn’t have to spend much on food. Mainly, they liked microwaved meals: macaroni cheese was on the menu most days.

Q Have you ever been paid silly money?

A YES. One commercial I did, for the Mexican Tourist Board, took four days to shoot. I got paid to visit all the sights of Mexico and do the most touristy things in gorgeous outfits and great make-up. Afterwards, it ran worldwide in print and TV every year for three years. I ended up making more than £75,000 from that commercial.

Q The best year of your financial life?

A IT WAS 2013, the year that Saving Mr Banks came out and I booked Transforme­rs and numerous commercial­s. I earned a six-figure sum that year.

Q Most expensive thing you bought for fun?

A IN 2016, I bought a black BMW Z4 hardtop convertibl­e on impulse. I wanted one because I love sports cars. I loved driving it. It was my dream car.

Q What is your biggest money mistake?

A FULFILLING my dream to have that BMW. It cost nearly $1,000 a month to lease and insure, plus the downpaymen­t. I had a lot of fun in it but financiall­y it was not a good move.

Q The best money decision you have made?

A CHOPPING off my hair in 2012 and becoming a brunette pixie. When I first came to Hollywood, I thought I had to look like everyone else, so I got a tan, grew my hair long and dyed it blonde. Eventually I realised I wanted to look more like myself and cut my hair shorter, and that’s when a headshot photograph­er suggested I go for a pixie cut. It was the best decision I ever made. After I cut all my hair off, I did not stop working. It turned my career around: I started making really good money as a model for magazines such as Vanity Fair, booking major commercial­s and soon afterwards, top movies. That is when I discovered my niche playing classic movie stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn.

Q Do you own any property?

A I GOT engaged in July, so my fiance and I are looking for a house to buy together. We met in March, right before lockdown, and decided to lock down together in Sussex. Then in the summer he introduced me to his family in Italy – he’s Italian – and proposed. We are staying in Italy with his family while we look to buy a property in America. We are considerin­g buying a house, doing it up and flipping it, then buying another to l i ve i n. I previously rented in Los Angeles.

Q Do you invest directly in the stock market?

A NO, I am clueless about the stock market. I’d rather not use my money to do something I do not understand and have no interest in.

Q Do you save into a pension ?

A YES, through the Screen Actors Guild. I joined in 2011. Now, whenever I earn money on set, some of my wages go into my pension. It seems like a sensible thing to do.

Q What is the one luxury you treat yourself to?

A HIGH-END skin care products. Before lockdown, I spent more than £ 220 on them. I am also prepared to pay good money for facials and other beauty treatments. My skin is really important to me.

Q If you were Chancellor, what would you do?

A I WOULD find someone more qualified to do the job! I would be the worst person to be put in charge of the Treasury as I have no interest in the economy. If I wasn’t allowed to resign, I would increase funding for theatres, cinemas and other arts that have been badly hit by the pandemic. I would make sure people working in those industries can get through this crisis without losing their income.

Q Do you donate to charity?

A YES. I am an ambassador for Teen Cancer America, a charity co-founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who. I donate my time as well as money – this year I’m hosting my third tea party to raise money. It takes place on Saturday and tickets are available from https://teawithvic­toriasumme­r2020.eventbrite.com

Q What is your number one financial priority?

A SAVING up for my wedding and our first home as a couple. I’m really looking forward to settling down and starting our married life.

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 ??  ?? SAVING UP: Saving Mr Banks actress Victoria Summer and, far left, in the 2013 TV ad for tourism which made her £75,000
SAVING UP: Saving Mr Banks actress Victoria Summer and, far left, in the 2013 TV ad for tourism which made her £75,000

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