National treasure Joanna Lumley is still raking in around £10,000-a-week aged 79.
The hugely popular TV and film star has just snagged a role in the second series of Netflix’s horror comedy-drama Wednesday.
The star, best known for her outrageous portrayal of Patsy Stone in the 90s sitcom Absolutely Fabulous alongside Jennifer Saunders, has since been involved in a variety of major projects.
The former model, author and activist has featured in a number of successful films such as Paddington 2 and The Wolf of Wall Street, as well as popular UK series like Fool Me Once and Motherland, plus its spin-off Amandaland.
And her hard-work is reflected in the books of her production firm Chrysolite Enterprises Ltd.
Latest accounts show she earned £500,000 in 2024 in paid herself a £252,000 dividend. The firm also retains cash in its coffers of £686,000.
National treasure Joanna Lumley is still raking in around £10,000-a-week aged 79 as she joins the cast of Netflix’s horror comedy-drama Wednesday
The star, best known for her outrageous portrayal of Patsy Stone in the 90s sitcom Absolutely Fabulous alongside Jennifer Saunders (pictured in Absolutely Fabulous in 1992)
Lumley will join the cast of the hit show as none other than Wednesday Addams’ (played by Jenna Ortega) Grandma Hester Frump.
She is described as Morticia Addams’ (Catherine Zeta-Jones) ‘formidable mother and the fabulously wealthy mogul behind Frump Mortuaries’, one of the most successful companies in America.
With this teaser in mind, it’s speculated that Morticia will be clashing with her mother in the upcoming series.
‘Hester is calculated in everything she does, from running her empire to managing her family’s legacy,’ say show makers.
A first glimpse of Joanna’s Wednesday transformation has been unveiled ahead of the second series launch, and she appears as striking as ever sporting a gothic fitted black gown and theatrical upswept hairstyle.
She won’t be the sole new addition when the new season kicks off, as Joanna will be accompanied by Thandiwe Newton portraying psychiatrist Dr Rachael Fairburn, Steve Buscemi as Principal Dort and Billie Piper taking on the role of music instructor Isadora Capri.
Lady Gaga is also expected to feature in Wednesday as an educator named Rosaline Rotwood, though no preview shots of the superstar have emerged as of yet.
It comes after Joanna insisted that she hasn’t had a career but simply worked to earn enough money to ‘keep herself alive’.
Latest accounts show she earned £500,000 in 2024 in paid herself a £252,000 dividend. The firm also retains cash in its coffers of £686,000 (pictured in Amandaland)
Lumley will join the cast of the hit show as none other than Wednesday Addams’ (played by Jenna Ortega) Grandma Hester Frump (pictured)
Joanna has insisted that she hasn’t had a career but simply worked to earn enough money to ‘keep herself alive’ (pictured with Jennifer Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous the movie)
The star brushed aside the notion that her path to success as an actress was carefully planned, instead noting that she had no idea of her ‘destiny’ as she went from role to role.
She was certain though that she just ‘loved’ to act and didn’t enter this ‘precarious profession’ for the fame or ‘stardom’.
Speaking to the Radio Times about her vocation, Joanna explained: ‘I’ve had no career – I was trying to earn money to keep myself alive. I’ve never had any idea of a destiny or where my career would go and I have never ever asked myself, “Will this damage my career?” I loved acting, so that was going to be my chosen thing.
‘We actors just wanted to get to be better actors, and we wanted to work so we could pay the rent. We weren’t longing for stardom.
‘We’re jobbing actors and we’re no different, really, from painters and decorators. It’s a precarious profession at the best of times and I’ve just done anything to keep my head above water.’
