The Melissa George Issue

[alexx]

I feel sorry for her that it seems like she went from admired and respected by the media and public, to sort of turning against her over night. She's trying to shoot a movie over here now too so I can imagine it would be even more stressful to have all of this media scrutiny going on. I notice her Twitter page has gone very quiet. Of course she probably said the wrong thing and it has come across as arrogant, but I bet she didn't mean it to come out the way it did and I bet she'll never ever do an interview for Seven again after they revealed it all.

As I mentioned before I've always been a fan of Melissa's work. She is a very attractive woman and a wonderful actress to boot. But unless Seven Network drastically misquoted her in the recent press she went way over the line in her reaction to H&A being brought up. Specifically the following quote where she allegedly stated “I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet. If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me any more."

I mean that is pretty bad, bottom line and being that she's been in the public eye most of her life she should know better than to make comments like that. So it's hard for me at least to feel sorry for her and quite frankly I don't know how she can make reparations for what she allegedly said and has now been put out there for everyone to read.

For what it's worth as well, since the original articles have been posted more details have come out regarding some of Melissa's issues with H&A and apparently she hung up on another Aussie journalist when the subject of Alf Stewart was brought up to her recently.

Yeah I do agree with you - what she said was hard to take out of context. I think some people are feeling like she's stabbed them in the back without any reason at all, since all she's ever had is praise from the Aussie media. I don't know, I just feel sorry for her because I think she's completely misunderstood the reason why she is/was popular. It isn't because of Home and Away, it's because she was seen as someone to be proud of. It would be a shame if she's ruined that image of herself now, and she probably has with most people.

And that statement about not needing to be credible over here seems like her own personal issue - she's put the pressure on herself rather than anyone else as far as I can see (but obviously we don't know her or her life) - and made something that could have been seen to most people as quite petty, into a huge deal. Plus she thinks that Australian's have the 'tall poppy syndrome' towards her - I don't see how she's come to that conclusion, I've only ever read encouraging and optimistic articles on her.

If she is genuenly stressed out about all of this, she's going to feel completely alienated when she see's these t-shirts. Hopefully she'll just take it with a pinch of salt and laugh: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertain...0-1226516141356

I was just on Melissa's twitter page and two posts came up - one was said 'In Defense of Melissa George' with a link to this article: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/news/celebstorie...-melissa-george and the other tweet was telling people that she will be taking a break from tweeting while she films her movie. Then they were deleted.

[jldraw]

I certainly agree alexx there seems to be some disconnect on her part regarding this entire issue and I don't think it's any more evident than when she was quoted as saying

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"I've never spoken out about it because I have to be the loyal good Aussie, who goes away and comes home. But I'm a really hard-working woman and people have to respect me for what I've done ... my next call will be to Home And Away to ask them to pay me because nobody does more promotion for that f ... ing show than me."

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Now by no means am I trying to suggest that Melissa should be beholden to Australian television as far as being an international representative of the brand but when you consider that you have scores of young actors on shows like "Home And Away", "Neighbours", "Puberty Blues" and other shows all working hard for the opportunity to build a resume, this comment just comes off as extremely cold and disrespectful.

The issue being of course that for the most part all Aussie actors have to work hard at their craft if they want to find success because essentially they have to establish themselves twice, first in Australia and then abroad. So it isn't as if Melissa George is in this unique category all by herself as all these young soapies are all working hard too just to be afforded the same opportunity that Melissa George got twenty years ago. As far as her being quoted as saying that "people have to respect me for what I've done", I've always thought that people did respect her because she had earned that respect, not demanded it. In the mid nineties, fans of H&A fell in love with the Angel Brooks character and the actress that portrayed her and out of that grew admiration and respect along with best wishes for success abroad when the time came for her to part ways with the show. So I guess I'm confused why now twenty years later, Melissa feels that she is somehow being disrespected to the point where she feels the need to demand respect from the public?

[Skylover]

Melissa comes across as a snobby, arrogant woman who lacks intelligence. Simple as. I couldn't sit through her entire episode of Who Do You Think You Are? because she arrived in her home town thinking she was royalty and two minutes into the episode her narcissistic personality shone through.

In fact I would just say she is a narcissistic, deluded, unintelligent woman. More importantly, who does she think she is?!

[beau_t]

^Yes, I find it rather hilarious that she has appeared on a show called "Who do you think you are?" just after all this has happened.

I do feel sorry for her, obviously NOBODY wants this kind of backlash. And as I said in earlier posts, I don't think she's just being a diva, I think she thinks she genuinely is being treated badly. But it's her mistake. She needs to realise that no actor in the whole world can escape being asked about a role that everyone remembers them for, and nor do any of the successful, respected ones act this way when they are (or if they do, this is what happens to them).

[cadyctslover]

Er, wow. I read some short quotes from this article yesterday, and I actually thought it was a joke article! Especially the part about having 'croissant and a little espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City'.

In my opinion and the bottom line as far as all of this goes is what really hurts Melissa's case here is to my knowledge she is the only former soapie who has become established overseas to have such an issue with Australian soaps. I keep my eyes peeled for mentions of H&A or Neighbours when former cast members now working in the US are interviewed and most of them credit the success they had in Australia in preparing them for their careers overseas.

Melissa George to my knowledge is the only one who gets at all prickly when the subject of her soapie past is broached. Now granted this could be because she is in the somewhat unique situation of having been arguably the biggest star as far as popularity in Australia any soap has ever produced coupled with the fact that she is an established actress overseas now as well. So it could be that her situation is specifically unique to her and unlike what other ex-soapies turned Hollywood stars have had to deal with. I don't know, that is all speculation on my part.

Well it could be that she's the only one to speak out about this. The quote from Chris Hemsworth is very nice, but I wonder how he would feel if in 15 years time people are still asking him about Kim Hyde, and Alf Stewart's catch phrases.

Granted, this was a really stupid thing to say and I don't have much respect left for Melissa now, but I'm sure she's not the only one who wishes her early work on a soap opera could be forgotten by the press when she's trying to make a name for herself in serious drama and film. She is the only one mad enough to go completely off the rails about it publicly though . Oh how I wish I could have seen the uncut interview on Sunrise.

[WillowsTara]

Meh, I don't really see the big deal either way, it's her opinion and if she isn't proud of it, fine it's not like H&A is the best soap out there, considering the amount of times I have heard "I hate H&A' everytime I say I watch it, it's no wonder because people will think, oh she's from that crappy show (I don't think it's crappy, I have seen worse), and I can see her POV that way, much like when the guy who played Jack said something like that.

Besides, it has been 20 years, it is a bit ridiculous to keep referring her one character, like it's the only one she's ever done (When I talk about certain actors, I don't use their main show, okay if they aren't well known like Amber Benson, I refer her as Tara from Buffy, but if it's Eliza Dusku I could probably name a few shows so people know who I am talking about). Probably best not to announce you don't like the show, as stars tend to get bashed for that opinion, which in mine I just think is ridiculous, it's their opinion and it shouldn't have to be a great deal. (Although saying I won't come back is a bit over dramatic,).

On a side note, I constantly forget she was even on Home and Away, when someone says Melissa George, I think of Grey's Antamony or Charmed (Despite she was on one episode), I can't even remember the other shows she was on.

[dee123]

She was on a season of Alias where she played herself

[beau_t]

She was on a season of Alias where she played herself

:lol:

[b2sb09]

Can't say I've ever been a big fan of Melissa's, there's just something about her that puts me off and it comes through with the characters she plays.

I can see her point about wanting to be recognised for more than HAA seeing as how it was so long ago and she's since been in Grey's Anatomy, Alias, Charmed, Friends, all top shows in their day, but everyone has to start somewhere, even if it's in a soap. I doubt Neighbours or Home and Away will ever win awards for being wonderfully written and riveting dramas, but they're often the first port of call for a lot of aspiring young actors with little or no experience and I don't think it unreasonable to think they should at least show some gratitude to their beginnings and for the experience, training and opportunities these soapies have given them and also to the fans that made them household names. Melissa certainly hasn't done herself any favours by having a dummy spit and it's not very professional to make it so public.

I like Dominic Purcell's attitude to having been on Home and Away.

'Home and Away' star slams "immature" Melissa George

Former Home and Away star Dominic Purcell has criticised Melissa George over her recent outburst against the show.

Purcell, who had a short stint on the Australian soap in 1991 and went on to star in Prison Break, said that working on the series is a great way for young actors to learn their craft.

George had vented her anger at still being associated with her role as Angel Parrish in Home and Away - in which she starred from 1993 to 1996 - after she was asked about it on The Morning Show.

She said: "My next call will be to Home and Away to ask them to pay me because nobody does more promotion for that f**king show than me.

" I love [sydney] so much. I want to come home a lot but the stress that this has created in me is not worthy of my health. I think it will be the last time [i visit and work here] for a while, to be honest, because I just get too upset coming home.''

Purcell told the Australian Daily Telegraph: "I'm not going to have a dummy spit like her. Just get humble for f**k's sake. See it for what it is.

"It's a tremendous training ground - that's the way I've embraced Home and Away. Melissa's remarks were uncalled for and immature.

"You've got to do your rounds and Home and Away is a great stepping stone for young actors. Chris Hemsworth is now one of the biggest stars in the world but Home and Away was like his NIDA.

"It's a wonderful way to learn about your craft, to get comfortable in front of the camera and get paid for it."

[Dan F]

Completely agree with what he's said, though yet another headline where someone is classed as a 'Home and Away' star when they've only appeared in 1-2 episodes 20 years ago

Incidentally if anyone hadn't heard, any plans for a 2nd series of Melissa's latest show 'Hunted' have been dropped by the BBC...