She Had 20 Groszy in Her Account — Now Poland Is Watching Zofia Jastrzębska Rise

There is something strangely fascinating about the moment before someone becomes famous.

From the outside, it can look almost effortless. One day, nobody knows your name. Then suddenly, your face is everywhere, people recognize you on the street, Netflix is calling and magazines are describing you as one of the country's most promising young stars.

But the reality is usually much less glamorous.

Just ask Zofia Jastrzębska.

Zofia Jastrzębska - Gala Festivale -  GdyniAKPA

The 27-year-old Polish actress is becoming one of the most interesting young faces in Polish television and streaming, but her road to recognition was anything but an overnight success.

And at one point, while she was already working on major productions, she had just 20 groszy in her bank account.

Yes — less than the price of a piece of bread.

TELEMAGAZYN / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 3.0

From Kraków to the screen

Born in Kraków in 1998, Jastrzębska knew from a young age that acting was what she wanted to do. She eventually studied acting at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków, graduating from its Wrocław branch in 2022.

Her first television appearances were not glamorous leading roles.

She started with smaller parts and episodic appearances, including projects such as Zameldowani, Zakochani po uszy, Kowalscy kontra Kowalscy and Warszawianka.

That is the part of the story people rarely see.

Before the premieres, red carpets and interviews, there are auditions.

Lots of them.

And rejection.

Jastrzębska has spoken openly about how difficult the beginning could be. After finishing acting school, she entered an industry that was particularly uncertain at the time. She graduated during the pandemic, when much of the film business had slowed dramatically.

She simply wanted to work.

Then came the opportunity that changed everything.

Netflix noticed her

Jastrzębska landed a role in Netflix's A Girl and an Astronaut, but her real breakthrough came with Infamy.

In the series, she played Gita Burano, a teenage girl caught between her family background, tradition, identity and the desire to live life on her own terms.

It was not an easy character.

And it was not a small opportunity.

Jastrzębska carried much of the series, something she admitted came with enormous pressure. In an interview with the Polish Film Institute's magazine, she recalled finishing acting school during the pandemic and worrying about what the future would look like. She had hoped simply to be able to work and support herself through acting — and then, surprisingly quickly, she found herself facing a major role.

The pressure could have been overwhelming.

Instead, she focused on the character.

And audiences noticed.

Infamy introduced her to a much wider audience and transformed her from a promising young actress into a recognizable new face.

The moment nobody sees behind the success

There is one detail from Jastrzębska's story that makes her rise feel particularly real.

While working on A Girl and an Astronaut and simultaneously performing at the Polish Theatre in Wrocław, she found herself in an extremely difficult financial situation.

She later revealed that she had 20 groszy in her bank account.

At one point, while travelling by train from Warsaw after filming, she was hungry and didn't even have enough money to buy a bread roll.

It is a striking contrast.

On one side: Netflix, television sets, theatre and the beginning of a professional acting career.

On the other: barely enough money to buy anything at all.

Her story is a reminder that professional success and financial security do not always arrive at the same time.

Sometimes you can be standing on a film set that millions of people will eventually see while still wondering how you are going to get through the week.

Then the doors started opening

After Infamy, Jastrzębska continued building her résumé.

She appeared in Netflix's Colors of Evil: Red, as well as other television and film productions. She also appeared in Vinci 2, continuing to move between television, streaming and cinema.

Her career is still young, but that may be exactly what makes her interesting.

She isn't a star who has already reached the top.

She is a star in the making.

And there is something refreshing about watching that process happen in real time.

More than just another pretty face

Jastrzębska also seems determined not to let the glamour surrounding the industry become the entire story.

In interviews, she has spoken about the reality of entering the profession after acting school and about discovering how different life in front of the camera can be from what students imagine.

She has also described herself as someone who values having a boundary between the entertainment world and her private life.

That may become increasingly difficult as her popularity grows.

Because if her career continues in the direction it has taken over the last few years, there will probably be a lot more people wanting to know who Zofia Jastrzębska is.

For now, however, she remains one of those exciting names sitting somewhere between "who is she?" and "how have you not heard of her yet?"

TELEMAGAZYN / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 3.0

And those are often the most interesting people to watch.

Her story didn't begin with a red carpet.

It began with auditions, uncertainty, tiny roles and a determination to keep going.

At one point, she had 20 groszy in her account.

Today, Netflix audiences know her face.

And if her current trajectory is anything to go by, Zofia Jastrzębska may only be getting started.