Martha Plimpton says she was 'officially broke' and asking for babysitting jobs when cast on 'Raising Hope'

Jolie Lash
·1 min read

Martha Plimpton looks back very, very fondly on joining the Chance family on FOX sitcom Raising Hope. And it couldn't have come at a better time.

"It didn't hurt that at the time I got Raising Hope I was officially broke," Plimpton told PeopleTV's Lola Ogunnaike during a new episode of Couch Surfing. "I had just lost my third Tony in a row, and I had been doing theater — nothing but, almost — for about 10 years, except for the occasional guest spot," she shared.

"And so, I really was, I mean, it was bad. I was asking for babysitting jobs. And when [creator] Greg Garcia said that I had gotten the job on the pilot of that show, it was an absolute godsend and a life changer," Plimpton revealed.

FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

Plimpton played Virginia Chance, Jimmy Chance's (Lucas Neff) mother, on the quirky and lovable Fox comedy that ran from 2010-2014.

EW's Ken Tucker named Raising Hope one of his top five new shows of the season in 2010. The show also featured the late Cloris Leachman as the memorable Maw Maw.

For more with Plimpton, check out the video above.

Watch the full episode of Couch Surfing streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.

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