Former child star Gaby Hoffmann is broke after relaunching her acting career because the business is completely different to the one she left behind nearly 15 years ago.

Hoffmann, who starred in Field of Dreams and Sleepless in Seattle, took a break from acting when she turned 17 to pursue her other interests and receive an education.

She recently returned to the spotlight in Michael Cera's comedy Crystal Fairy, but the 31 year old admits she is learning things aren't the way they used to be, when actors were well-compensated and had no trouble finding work.

Hoffman tells the New York Times she only has $4,000 (£2,581) in her bank account, and adds, "It's just not that much if you don't know where the next $4,000 is coming from. I have a teacher friend who gets nervous when there's $200 in her account. But at least she knows that in a week, she'll get another pay cheque. I have no idea."

Hoffmann agreed to receive only $25-a-day (£16-a-day) for her work on new web series Lyle, simply because she is passionate about the project, but she insists today's struggling economy has made life much more difficult for actors.

She adds, "The amount of energy you need to output just to survive in New York takes away from your ability to be an artist. It was a very conducive place for artists when I was growing up, and it's now definitely not. The city has been completely taken over by the rich."