Playing Kate on This Is Us was a game-changer for Chrissy Metz in more ways than we realized. In the March issue of Glamour , the actress revealed that before landing her role on the NBC drama, she was barely getting by. Metz told the magazine that after the fourth season of American Horror Story, in which she starred as Ima Wiggles, she didn't have much success getting new roles. "I kept auditioning, with no savings and no money, credit card debt gaining interest. I went on unemployment. I bought ramen noodles at dollar stores," Metz told Glamour. "I never had to — God forbid — live on the streets; I moved in with a roommate who told me, 'Stay with me until you can afford rent. Don't give up.'" Metz added that friends and family helped her prepare for auditions when she couldn't spend money on acting classes and cooked dinner for her if she couldn't buy food. "I am so grateful that I had such an amazing support system, but when I booked This Is Us, I had 81 cents in my bank account," she told the magazine. "I could cry right now just thinking about it." And while Metz is no longer struggling, she still remembers where she came from. She told Glamour that she still lives with her roommate, though she's now paid off her credit card debt, along with loans from friends and family. We're glad she didn't give up on her dream — it's hard to imagine anyone else playing Kate Pearson as beautifully as Metz does. Check out the full interview over at Glamour