Annie Murphy

The Canadian actress described her circumstances as “quite bleak” before she was cast as spoiled party girl with a heart of gold in the CBC series 'Schitt's Creek' - which also starred Eugene Levy, 76, his son Dan Levy, 40, and ‘Catherine O’Hara, 69.

Annie - who had been working as an actress for eight years before landing that role - had suffered a series of setbacks, including a housefire, and was getting dangerously low on money, but things turned around after a dip in sea.

The 36-year-old actress said in 2021: “My house had just burnt down, I had like, $3 in my bank account, I hadn't worked in close to two years ... I found myself crying in the Pacific Ocean, a very snotty cry, and the universe was like, 'Don't do this anymore. This is not for you!' But then, two days later, I got the audition for 'Schitt's Creek'."