For Jessie Cave, playing Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter movies was once her biggest claim to fame. Now, it’s her unexpected career move that’s making headlines and bringing in a surprising amount of money.
During a recent interview, the actress opened up about her financial struggles, explaining that her decision to join an adult platform stemmed from “complete desperation.”
Just one year later, the move has proved to be extremely profitable for Cave and her family.
“It has saved our lives,” she said.
Former Harry Potter actress reveals why she joined an adult platform
Jessie Cave rose to prominence playing Lavender Brown, Ron Weasley’s girlfriend, in the Harry Potter franchise.
After the film series concluded in 2011, she made sporadic appearances on TV, including shows such as Black Mirror and The Baby. She also turned to stand-up comedy, performing sold-out shows in London and Edinburgh.
In a new interview with The Times, Cave revealed that she had been struggling financially over the past year. The 39-year-old said it was difficult to find acting jobs that fit around raising her four children with comedian Alfie Brown.
Cave explained that she couldn’t afford to return to school and earn a degree in another field. Her Harry Potter fame also made getting a regular day job more complicated.
“I don’t want people shouting Harry Potter spells at me as I work at Tesco. I could retrain, but I can’t afford to do a degree.
“I had a breakdown, and I thought, ‘That’s it with acting, I give up.” But also we have no money,” she said.
Cave said she had reached a point of “complete desperation” when she decided to join a popular adult platform.
Jessie Cave shares how much money she has earned from adult content
The actress revealed that she initially planned to create adult content for a few months, intending to earn £5,000 (roughly $6,762), hoping the money would be enough until she could find an alternate day job.
Cave launched her account in March 2025, sharing niche hair content aimed at people with a hair fet*sh. Despite not posting explicit material, she amassed 3,500 followers, with subscribers paying $6 a month.
As a result, the former Harry Potter star now makes approximately £15,000 (roughly $21,000) a month. Cave also revealed that she once earned £15,000 in a single day through one-off “paid-for messages.”
Cave’s earnings from the platform have surpassed her income as an actress in less than 18 months, but she remained concerned about the longevity of her new career and the stigma around it.
“The bottom line is I can’t afford to stop, and I do enjoy a lot of it. There’s a lot that I don’t enjoy too,” she added.
Jessie Cave recalled being fat-shamed while working on Harry Potter movies
During an appearance on the RESET the Pod podcast on August 9, Cave spoke about her experiences working on the Harry Potter franchise.
She described the subject as “really hard to talk about,” recalling both positive and negative experiences on set.
More than 15 years after her most famous role, Cave still has traumatic memories of playing Lavender Brown. The 39-year-old said a costume designer shamed her after she gained weight before filming the final movie.
She described the experience as “hurtful” and “bizarre,” saying she believed the treatment was linked to her weight gain.
“I was treated like I was an invisible person,” she said.
The Harry Potter movies are currently streaming on Peacock and HBO Max.
Fans shareed mixed feelings about the Harry Potter star’s new career move
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