This week Melissa George pissed me off.
A fact which is irritating because I’m a big Melissa George fan. Last year, her performance as Rosie in The Slap was nothing short of mesmerising. It was the latest in a long line of roles that once again proved that Melissa George is one of our country’s most talented actresses.
That aside, in the past 24 hours I think she’s sort of behaved like…..well, I’ll invoke dinner party rules and bite my tongue. Let’s just say my disappointment is epic.
It all started when Melissa allegedly had a meltdown during an appearance on The Morning Show on Channel 7 last week. The Seven Network claim George spat the dummy because a 20-year-old clip of the actress playing Angel Parrish on Home and Away was aired before her interview.
To get you up to speed, here’s what was reported in the news on Sunday:
CHANNEL 7 spoke out yesterday about a tirade unleashed by former Home And Away castmember Melissa George, who threw a hissy fit on Friday’s The Morning Show because the segment referenced her days at Summer Bay.
The brekkie newsroom was still reeling from the outburst yesterday, which witnesses described as “erratic” and “unbelievable”, as the Aussie actress threatened to walk off the set if hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies made mention of the character that made her a star, Angel Parrish.
“She kept saying she’s had so many bigger roles since Home And Away that it was offensive to talk about it – she even said she’d send Seven an invoice because she inadvertently promotes it through the media,” an insider said.
And here’s what Melissa said in an interview on why she threatened to walk out:
Melissa George on Home and Away.
“I don’t need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet,” she said. “If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don’t speak to me any more. I’d rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.
“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.”
And now, just yesterday, Melissa hung up on a phone interview when the journalist – cheekily – started asking her about Alf Stewart. Flamin’ heck.
Soooooo.
I get the fact that Melissa finds it boring or belittling that every single time she does an interview in Australia, her start on Home and Away is referenced. But you know what? Suck. It. Up.
Olivia Newton-John is forever known as Sandy in Grease. Kylie Minogue is routinely referenced as Charlene from Neighbours. Tina Arena was Tiny Tina from Young Talent Time. Jamie Durie was a stripper, did you know? Naomi Watts smiles politely every time an Aussie journo mentions her “I’d rather have a lamb roast / I gave up Tom Cruise for this!” tv commercial. And I have yet to read an interview with Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling or Christina Aguilera that doesn’t recall their early days on the Mickey Mouse Club.
Will Smith, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Everyone started out in daggy roles. Those early soapies or sitcoms or tv commercials are the acting equivalent of your first job at McDonalds. That’s how it works.
How many times do you think Nicole Kidman has sat and watched clips of herself as a frizzy haired teen on BMX Bandits? Countless. But every time Kidman handles the moment with good grace and humour. Similarly earlier this year Will Smith was asked about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on the Graham Norton Show. Not only did Smith happily talk about the show he stopped filming 17 years ago, he sang the theme song with the audience. Because of that his likeability factor was turned up to 11. Better still, this is what the A-list Hollywood movie star had to say about people’s on-going, unrelenting affection for his role in The Fresh Prince:
“There’s something about TV that’s different to movies or music. You go into a person’s house …Television has a way of attaching you to people that is extremely powerful. And it’s humbling.”
Melissa, you have gone from strength to strength and left Angel Parrish in your dust. The press here remind us of your soapie past because well, it’s easy, lazy journalism and because twenty years ago you played a character who was so very, very loved. When you come home to Australia we all indulge in a little walk down memory lane.
And it is little. Eight-seconds in fact.
The Morning Show hosts, Larry and Kylie, introduced you by calling you “one of Hollywood’s most wanted”. They raved about you as someone who has gone on to make a successful career on the big and small screen. And then they showed a video featuring clips of you in Home and Away, Alias, Grey’s Anatomy, The Slap and in your new show Hunted. Angel Parrish flashed onto my screen for eight seconds. And I thought, “Oh, I remember that” and smiled.
So.
So you can certainly ask us all to ‘be quiet’ and to get over the past. And you can accuse us of tall poppy syndrome. And we in return can wish you all the very best in your career. And hope that eventually you take a leaf out of Will Smith’s book.
As Ben Elton – who is now a celebrated author and comedian but originally came to fame at 21 on iconic TV comedy show The Young Ones – said on ABC radio today, “There’s nothing wrong with talking about how you got your start in your career. If you were a young star, then that’s something to be proud of because it’s how you got your break.”
Damn straight. Take a look at these other stars who started out just as cheesily as Melissa George but are happy to own their cheesy roots…..
Kylie Minogue in Neighbours
154 Comments so far
Hey everyone – just letting you know we’re closing comments on this post now. Thanks for the discussion!
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I am sure in the darkness and quietness of her room, she is probably going….”okay, maybe I overreacted”. Either that, or she has lost any last connection to a sense of reality and what’ the important issues are in life. I don’t think it’s even that she had a bit of a hissy fit, it’s how she has responded which has got people even more angry with her pompous answers. There are actors who have been outright tossers and rude to people in the past, and my reaction has been not to go to any of their films again or watch their TV shows.
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She was happy to chat about it to Jonathan Ross on his talk show a couple of weeks before (HUGE audience numbers) but as soon as she is back in Aussie on the Morning show (small audience numbers) she makes a fuss. So Melissa, its not just the Australian media that keep asking you about it, the international media do too. And if you got sick of it, sorry. Take a leaf out of Will Smith et al as mentioned above.
By the way, thats not Ben Elton in the Young Ones pic.
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Great writing as always Bec x
Yes, I can understand that she is sick of getting asked about Home and Away and yes Australian morning TV is a total bore but this is her job. That’s right people- her job! Melissa gets paid an obscene amount of money to be an actress and part of that job is promoting herself and her ‘craft’. That means she gets paid money to sit there and smile and answer stupid questions on morning TV and promote herself at the same time. And yes, I’d appreciate if she didn’t bitch about it either because if she thinks its that bad she can try an ordinary 9-5 job for awhile and try seeing if she can afford her lifestyle (and Paris’ espressos) on that salary.
I don’t see her as a victim of Australia’s Tall Poppy Syndrome. I don’t think anyone really gave a rats about her until now when made some news by having a tanty. Angel, sorry Melissa, babe, you ain’t Angelina Jolie, no one cares.
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I imagine the comedy role offers will start rolling in for her now.
That little rant about the espresso in Paris and walking her “french bulldog” in NYC is comedy gold. Did she come up with that on the spot? Genius.
That needs to be on a t-shirt.
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loving your work. I still fail to see how it is the dreaded “tall poppy syndrome” to talk about someone’s early success in Australia. great article,
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Melissa who???
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I think the comparisons you drew between her and the others were a little unfair.. I’m guessing Will Smith/Kylie/Nicole Kidman don’t mind being reminded of where they come from. EVERYONE knows that they are superstars now.
Whereas I’d say that there are still millions of people in Australia alone who have no idea who Melissa George is and that’s probably where her frustration comes from.
Not saying it is ok though!
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Yup, very uncool and silly. People will remember this and she’ll lose fans because she is now perceived as being ‘up’ herself. Certainly the statement about preferring to be in Paris and New York were off point and pretentious.
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This has got to be the biggest high horse article I’ve seen in years.
One misstep and all the knives are out. If there’s one thing I’ll teach my three daughters it is: avoid being famous, avoid being famous, avoid being famous.
Personally, I think the nastiness directed at Melissa George is far more related to her anti-Aussie statements than her dislike of being reminded about Home and Away.
Nothing outrages the outrage crew more than someone who doesn’t worship these shores. We desire the pat on the head (OH, Tom Cruise JUST LOVES US, WE ARE IMPORTANT”) more than anything.
We crave perceived relevance and when someone suggests we aren’t (or worse, we were and now we aren’t anymore), woe betide that uppity little so and so, right?
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Oh come now, An Idle Dad, if anyone is atop that high horse I would have thought it is patently obvious it is Melissa George and not the writer of this article.
For what it’s worth I think advising your daughters to avoid being famous is fine advice. But Melissa George has done everything in her power her entire adult life to achieve the exact opposite of that. And luckily for her, a soap opera casting director gave her a big step up in achieving that dream when she was just another hopeful young actress.
Biting the hand that feeds in such an ungracious and comically childish manner is what has rightfully attracted scorn – nothing to do with a failure on her part to grovel to her homeland.
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Guess what people- Guy Pearce, Kylie, Nicole, Simon Baker, Hugh Jackman- they’re all expats, just like Melissa. Sure, they might still own property here, they might appear seemingly more gracious and polished in interviews, but they’re not coming back and i highly doubt any of their kids would be attending an Australian school or university. I’d even venture that Cate Blanchett will be moving on soon, now that her work with the Sydney theatre company is winding down. And it’s no big deal. People emigrate all the time, not everyone does the gap year in London and then comes home again.
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You can tell the term “playing the good Aussie” is a phrase ex-pat actors use amongst themselves.
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Some random, who said there was anything wrong with migrating to America? There is nothing wrong with that specially if you work in an industry where the majority of work happens to be in America. The issue here is Melissa’s attitude, not her postcode.
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Agreed!
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Sorry but I have to disagree.
I don’t think Melissa owes Australia anything. I don’t think she needs to be fawning over journos or gushing about her past. Nope. Not at all. I think she is where she is because she’s a very, very good actress.
But I’ve worked in the media in different capacities for 20 years. I’ve written countless celebrity interviews for magazines, I’ve been the behind the scenes producer writing questions for on-air talent in radio etc etc etc … and what I know is that everyone is just doing their best. They’re just trying to present an interesting story or segment. And yes, had I been the person who scripted Melissa’s appearance on The Morning Show (or whatever) I would most likely have written something like “From Home and Away to The Hunted, Melissa has risen blah blah blah”
For the most part, the crews who work behind the scenes on TV shows, in radio are good people.
And I have witnessed enough celebrity dummy spits in my life to have little doubt that Melissa most likely insulted people that morning.
It’s not about tall poppy or being on a high horse … it’s about people not behaving with good grace.
Was my post that nasty? I think I went out of my way to say repeatedly how extremely talented she is.
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Well said Bec. Nobody ever thinks of the very real people in the media just doing their jobs who get caught in the crossfire of a celebrity tanty. They are the people furtherest from the mind of people such as An Idle Dad when they rush to the defence of an overly indulged “star” such as Melissa George
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You’ve just had a dummy spit at her dummy spit.
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Great piece Bec… totally agree. I can understand that she wants her other work recognised, but I thought the Morning Show clip treated her career really fairly.
Two words: Striesand Effect.
This media meltdown (and the attending coverage) will guarentee that forever more she will be known as the girl from Home and Away,not only in Aus, but around the world.
All I can say, is that Alf and Alsa wont be pleased. Shes acting like a flamin gallah!
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LOL!
That’s what I thought too … that clip was actually terrific and they went out of their way to bang on about her amazing Hollywood career.
It’s all a bit bizarre!
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Well articulated- I totally agree with what you have here. I think you’ll find Ben Elton was a writer on the Young Ones, Christopher Ryan played Mike.
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If we’re going to lash out at “lazy Aussie journos” then we need to do the same to those in the US and the UK as these clips appear all of the time and to much more well-known people than Melissa George.
Not sure why anyone would feel this is the tall poppy syndrome. American actors who started off in soaps, dodgy tv ads or smaller shows get the same treatment ie Demi Moore, Susan Sarandon, Leo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Julianne Moore, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Meg Ryan, Kathleen Turner, David Hasselhoff, Kevin Bacon, Marissa Tomei, etc. Look at their names and level of success!! Do an interview – especially on a lighter show like Ellen , Leno or *gasp* a morning show – and there’s a decent chance a pic or clip of a celeb from their early days will appear at some point. These shows are famous for that.
It doesn’t mean that the host(s) or general public think they’re too big for their britches now and want to chop them down. It’s often used as a way to have a giggle or take a stroll down memory lane. And in Melissa George’s case I suspect there might’ve been the added factor of trying to remind the demographics of their show who she even is. Not everyone at home that time in the morning would have seen her in Alias or Grey’s – might not have even seen those shows at all – but they at least would’ve heard of H&A.
For her to think that she’d be doing press in Australia and Home and Away wouldn’t be mentioned was quite misguided of her. The only leeway I’d give her is if her PR people specifically requested that it not be mentioned. I would still probably wonder what she’s so worried about but I’d respect that decision. However if she did make that request then she needs to get new management considering Alf was then mentioned in that subsequent radio interview.
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I commented on the previous post too. I agree with all those who think that Melissa George’s alleged meltdown on The Morning Show and twitter comments were really disappointing.
From what I’ve read she had the opportunity to stipulate questions she wished to be asked by Larry and Kylie prior to the interview… besides that who could get angry at Larry (he seems so likeable).
I agree with Melissa George up to a point about the Tall Poppy Syndrome. Here is my theory.
1. The Australian Film and Television industry is too small.
2. There just isn’t that much work for actors in Australia.
3. So we see the same actors on our screens over and over again. Why? Because they need work.
4. Viewers tire of seeing the same actors banging on about themselves and the same shows all the time. Oh lord not ‘Melissa George’ again banging on about ‘Home and Away’ again.
5. We need to mix things up a bit. New actors. New television shows. Different interview questions.
I like Eddie McGuire but I don’t want to see him ALL of the time. Sorry Eddie.
Others are cut down to size simply because they are up themselves.
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my first though is that i agree with bec. it may be tiring to talk about, but it’s not hard to say “yes, that was funny” and move on. i thought it showed a lack of grace and humility.
that being said, maybe she’s having a bad week? maybe it’s something that’s been irking her for a while? i feel since i don’t know her, i shouldn’t really judge her. shitty situation for her, but frankly, she caused it herself.
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Did she really give that interview though? How much of that interview was word for word? Because the whole New York and Paris quip sounds something a troll would say…
I guess what we see as sentimental isn’t coming across as that? I like remembering her as Angel because when I look at her now, she has come so very far, and she has achieved so much and she can serve as inspiration to those trying to make it big, that one day you’re an Aussie soap star and the next, Hollywood comes calling!
For me, it’s more of an Aussie connection that I knew her before she hit big time international… kind of like bragging rights in a way…
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Believe me Joy. She said it word for word. I did the interview. Regards, Christine Sams, Fairfax Media.
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I would love to read more from you, Christine!
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Trust me ! As an actress, Melissa George is definitely the next Anna Sten.
Google Anna Sten.
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“I’d rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City” – Urgh. Was there ever a more pretentiouis or wanky statement ever said? Yes, we get it. You’re soooo much cooler now you live overseas *Snooze*
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I’ll admit some of the comments Melissa George made about the blow up sound incredibly pretentious, but I don’t think that’s what she meant. I’m more inclined to agree with Kirsty Rice’s article from yesterday: she’s moved on and she wants the rest of the country to move on with her.
Yes, it’s nice to go for a walk down memory lane, but would you like people to refer to your work from 16 years ago? Would you like to be remembered as “so and so the high school captain/local cafe waitress/copywriter/receptionist” if you’d progressed a lot farther in your career since then?
Wouldn’t it feel as though the constant references to something so far in your past were also suggested that was when you peaked?
I think Melissa George could have handled it better, but I totally see where she’s coming from too.
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Dear Melissa, i’m sorry but i agree 100% with Bec…I thought Larry and Kylie’s intro piece absolutely lauded you and the Angel Parish bit was but a tiny part. I think you just might be a teeny bit up yourself. Plus, it’s such a first world problem for you to be making a fuss of. Don’t a lot of successful people say ‘never forget where you came from’? I think you’ve pooped in your nest well and truly. Enjoy your wanky espresso in Paris, Love Eden
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Melissa George ? Huge PITA……
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It’s textbook journalism. In my very first broadcast journalism lecture, it was made clear that in the Australian media, one Aussie dying in a suicide bombing would always be more “relevant” than the other 300 who died and weren’t from Australia. It’s both disgusting and depressing, yes? And the same thing applies in this situation: Melissa’s time in Home and Away will always be more relevant in Australia than her other successes. Apparently, anyway.
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I would imagine that it’s similar everywhere. Local issues/people would be seen as more relevant everywhere. I’m guessing home and away is more relevant here because it’s one of our longest running, most well known soapies.
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Your photo of the Young Ones doesn’t even have Ben Elton in it!
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Sorry Bec I don’t agree at all. Why do we have such an inferiority complex in Aus that we constantly have to question our celebs about what they did in Australia, rather than their entire body of work? Why when an overseas celebrity visits Australia do we focus all our questions on what they think of Australia and what they thought of working with Hugh Jackman rather than their experiences in their current roles? It is a global world and Australia needs to grow up and stop acting like a needy child, looking for approval all the time. I’d be pissed off too if all I was asked about in my home country was what I’d done while there, rather than my years of hard slog since. Melissa is a good actress and I’d rather hear about her current experiences than her starting out role on H & A eons ago. And for the record, I think it is a waste of interview time and an insult to ask Kylie and Nicole etc. those same inane questions…they deserve more respect.
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“anonymous”, you obviously didn’t see or watch the interview that Larry & Kylie did with Melissa George on The Morning Show. They showed a few seconds of Home & Away footage, and then the rest of the video footage was from her more recent works. NOT ONCE did they mention her role on Home & Away, they ONLY talked about her recent work in Hollywood, how she’s so in demand there, they talked about her new upcoming show, ‘Hunted’, and so on. The “dummy spit”, as I understand it, is because they dared show a few seconds of her on Home & Away. Why is she so ashamed of her roots? As Bec points out, everyone stars somewhere or comes from somewhere, why be so ashamed of it?
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Sorry to burst your bubble Jane but the “dummy spit” as you call it, was prior to that footage. It came before the break prior to the commercial where they promoted her interview as one with ‘Home & Away actress Melissa George’ which was not only factually incorrect, it made no mention of the charity cause she was appearing for!
I’m not even a fan of her work, but anyone with half a brain can see that this is a beat up.
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They didn’t talk about H&A BECAUSE of the dummy spit. She did that during the highlight reel. As a result she got precisely what she wanted- no discussion about H&A.
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I must say, I get a little annoyed at how Seven’s breakfast show always picks up on that best known fact about people. “And today we have Madonna, famous for singing “Like a Prayer!”".
And I forgive Melissa … she just has a lot more chance than me of having one of her PMS attacks caught on camera,
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Damn – I must have gone to the wrong cafes in Paris… My coffees were all terrible!!!
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…And can I just add a line from an iconic Australian film (where one notable Aussie actress got her big break)
“Wake up to yourself Perry!” in this case…Melissa!
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Amen! Amen! Amen! You said it Bec!
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I thought it was a joke. I mean, the dog, the croissant and the coffee, what the hell was that pseudoriffic pile of horse manure?
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Speaking of Olivia NJ. I saw a program last night with her going over her back catalogue of video clips with the guy who helped produce them. It was cringeworthy to the max. I had to turn it off, it made me feel sick. Melissa should be proud, in comparison.
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Sean Penn at Ridgemont High. Gold.
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AMEN!!!! Thank you for this article, I completely agree – I was angered by her lack of humility this week. Well said!
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Just interested, which radio show did she hang up on?
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I totally agree with you Bec. The clip in question seemed to play equal time of different roles Melissa has done, it just happened to start with Home & Away. I thought she was incredible as Rosie in The Slap, she made the character believable and to me, sympathetic – which is not how I felt reading the book at all.
I find it sad if the things reported are true, but I am reluctant to believe anything until I read some real attributable quotes about what actually happened.
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I loooove this Bec! xx
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I think there is more to this story than is being reported in the media. I can’t imagine that she’s had an outburst like that for no apparent reason, I think there is more that has gone on behind the scenes.
Yes it was poor manners and poor judgement on her part, but I don’t think she’s just randomly started ranting without a good reason.
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Don’t be so sure, I’ve heard a few people who’ve worked with her report that she’s always been rude and difficult to work with.
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Don’t get too cocky Melissa. Just remember it has taken you over 20 years to get where you are yet it could be all taken tomorrow
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Such a dumb move spitting the dummy like that! Now people will remember her for being a totally up herself twat instead of the little cutie from Home and Away.
Ouch . . . Melissa George fell on her own sword
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Just to make something clear, a role on H&A or Neighbours isn’t a gateway to Hollywood. It doesn’t make you stand out to US casting agents, just UK panto directors. As far as people in the US are concerned, Melissa George went to Hollywood as a complete unknown.
No, she’s not Nicole Kidman or Cate Blanchett, but she has been pretty successful. Her role on Alias was massive in the US, that’s what Americans would know her from. She’s worked with Steven Soderbergh and David Lynch, she’s had the lead in some critically acclaimed films (Triangle) and some highly profitable ones (Amityville Horror). She also invented Style Snaps, which are very popular (and I’m sure highly profitable) in the US.
I completely understand why most Aussie actors choose to live overseas. We’re like the parents who keep talking about embarrassing things you did as a kid at all the adult milestones of your life. Win a Golden Globe? Let’s play a clip of you delivering some of the worst dialogue ever written on Neighbours. Get recognized for your contribution to music? Clearly the thing to best illustrate that is lengthy clip of Locomotion. Even when Heath Ledger DIED, Channel 7 felt the need to make the focus of their tributes his little role on H&A. For every 10 second clip of him in Brokeback Mountain or The Dark Knight, there was 5 minutes of H&A.
Will Smith being cool about Fresh Prince isn’t the same. That show was massively popular worldwide for a while, it would still be earning him a sizeable amount of money every month (re-runs) and it actually was his big break. It made him a star in the US and led to his blockbuster roles. Not the same thing as an Aussie soap at all. What is interesting is that interviewers completely ignore his rap career with DJ Jazzy Jeff. I’d say Will Smith has a few things he’s not happy to talk about either. Difference is his people would handle that for him.
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Agree, agree, agree.
Kate, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Of course Channel 7 are going to use all means possible to constantly dredge up what famous actors got their start on H & A because it benefits channel 7′s commercial interest to do so.
That is the real issue here – the constant cross promotion the main stream networks indulge in and yet no one questions their motivation.
That is gross what they did to Heath Ledger who was on H&A for like one nano second. His career highlights should not have included H&A.
For most actors being on a soap at the start of their career is NOT a source of pride, nor should it be. Australian soaps are badly written pieces of rubbish designed to keep people apathetic, complacent and dumb. And they aren’t exactly a mirror to our society either. Shows like Masterchef exhibit our amazing diversity as a nation much better than Neighbours or H&A. Neighbors only introduced proper diversity last year by adding the Indian family as permanent cast members. The reason I know this was because it hit the news.
These soaps need to wake up, its 2012 not 1950. Australia is no longer just white, middle class, (good looking, beach bronzed) anglo-saxon. To constantly only show the trial and tribulations of only these characters on these shows is just plain lazy and boring.
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Just Saying, I completely agree with you that Australian soaps are the lowest form of trash there is but what does this have to do with how Melissa behaved here?
No one was asking her to say that Home & Away is a masterpiece that she was proud to work on, all she had to do was show a little professionalism and be a little gracious. Is that really so hard?
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Agree! Will Smith OWNS the rights to that song, it still makes him money.
Ben Elton is still active with The Comic Strip Presents (I think that’s the name) which was involved with The Young Ones. It’s still part of his current body of work!
Tina Arena was just on the relaunched Young Talent Time – OF COURSE she’s happy to talk about it!
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Great article, well said on all points.
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Firstly, who knows what ACTUALLY happened – we didn’t see the tanty.
Secondly, she’s only hurting herself, so who cares. If she wants to give Home & Away and Australia the finger she won’t be welcomed back.
As far as celebs go, she’s pretty icy. I admire her career success, but I’ve never been a fan.
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The ‘tanty’ was full blown. Take it from someone who was there. She almost walked out of the studio before the commercial break ended. Most out of the ordinary.
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OK, so I relented at watched the interview! So she came across boring but this tanty wasn’t on the show. So channel 7 decided to leak the info by an “anonymous” source throwing the word allegation around as if it makes it ok and they can make it “news”. Just because she wouldn’t toe the line with some promotion that they wanted her to support, they decide to put the crap on her in the media. In light of this, I actually think her response in the subsequent interview was pretty subdued!
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I love the tall poppy syndrome. No one is better than anyone else. Fat heads like Tom Cruise make me sick. Cut him down to size I say!
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Why? Why not celebrate, admire and aspire to someone else’s success. Cut him down to size is just another way of saying bring him down to my level. Why don’t we like other people achieving success?
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I do celebrate all our wonderful Aussies in all fields, but when someone acts superior, with an inflated ego I think it is time to bring them back to reality.
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Agreed
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Guy Pearce in neighbours also comes to mind. Guy reacts in a similar way to Wil Smith when asked about it. All class.
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This really pissed me off too. ” I’d rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.” Well go back there if you would so much rather be doing that and don’t bother coming back to the country which gave you your start.
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But did it really give her her start? LA is full of wannabe actresses who were big stuff in their own home towns/countries but who are just a dime a dozen when it comes to the next audition. And remember, Home and Away isn’t sydnicated in the US so when Melissa got there whilst the experience of being on the show itself would have added to her resume, it’s highly unlikely that anyone in casting would have had any idea who she was.
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You’re right that LA is full of wannabe actresses and her role on Home&Away was certainly no guarantee of success but if she didn’t have a role on Home&Away she cold have never even gone to LA to audition for anything in the US. You can’t just pack you bags and go to LA and start auditioning.
You have to get a working visa first and then get an agent (without one no one would give you the time of that day to even attend an audition). She would have never gotten this without her work on Home&Away so in that sense, it did in fact give her a start.
LA is full of their own (American) wannabe actresses, they only give working visas to actresses from other countries after they’ve had a decent amount of exposure and success in their own country.
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Yes it did give her a ‘start’. She was born here, raised here, and given opportunities here. Working in the Australian film & TV industry gave her “some” skills, experience, and I’m sure a lot of confidence. Who knows what kind of person she would have been without these? Perhaps not the type confident enough to do the rounds of auditions in LA. Whether or not people in the USA ‘recognise’ her role in H&A, she still got her ‘start’ here.
I agree with Emma. If she thinks she’s so fantastic because she can buy a bloody crossaint or coffee in Paris, then don’t bother coming back.
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Hey, you forgot Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back Kotter (John Travolta)
“Up ya nose with a rubber hose”
Melissa who?
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“I’d rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.”
Whoa! I like her as an actress, but jeez, pretentious, much?
And no, totally not tall-poppy syndrome. I’m all for people achieving success and being proud of that. But actors and actresses are just doing a job. I think some of them need reminding that this doesn’t make them better than other people.
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^That was me. D’oi.
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“Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got
I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the block
Used to have a little, now I have a lot
No matter where I go, I know where I came from (from the Bronx!)”
I think JLo makes a point here!
Maybe MGeorge could take a leaf out of this mega superstar’s book.
Perhaps she could have show a bit of appreciation, rather than disdain, for her Aussie fans who followed her career from the beginning.
Manners cost NOTHING, I still don’t get why some people don’t have them.
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Well said Bec!
I think Melissa may have some unresolved issues with being from Australia and is obviously ashamed of being on Home and Away. I’ve never watched the show, but without it would she have ever been in a position to break into the Hollywood scene?
I don’t think people believe that role defines her, it is just part of her career. Yes the embarrassing starting part, but also the part that made many Australian’s love her and want to watch her in other TV shows or movies.
Aside from all that though I want to understand why no one has yet to unleash on this line that she said….
‘I’d rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City.’
WTF?? lol Who says that??
Oh I get it now Melissa, you don’t live here any more, you are totally better than Australia now and are special and fancy and eat croissants and drink coffee in Paris. Apparently Melissa is also so special that she has a French bulldog and is able to walk it in New York!!
Seriously?? Fine, if she wants to complain about something, but all i hear is a little girl trying to tell us how much better she is now than she was back then.
Someone give her a hug and tell her it is all ok! She has done well and Aussies are proud of her!
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While I’d heard of the name ‘Melissa George’, before this, I couldn’t put a face to a name and I couldn’t have told you anything she had done. So she’s had a few roles on a few shows over 15 YEARS. Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts watch your back!
I once saw an interview with George Clooney who said that diva-like behaviour usually comes from either B-list actors who are trying to climb the ladder or former A-list actors who aren’t dealing with the fact that they are no longer as famous as they once were. A-list actors who have ‘made it’ and have nothing to prove don’t usually behave like 15 years olds. I thought that was an interesting perspective…
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Yes, I’ve heard several film producers and movie stars say this too, that it’s rarely the big star who acts like a douche, it’s always the C list actress who behaves like the biggest diva on set. And it seems Melissa George proves this to be true.
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How sad. How sad that Melissa George no longer remembers the legions of fans like me. All those times I tried braiding my hair like hers, bought clothes which ‘Angel’ would wear, even perhaps in a very small way, influenced me through those grueling teenage years. Why is she acting like a highschool friend who pretends she’s forgotten my name? Sad.
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