Let me begin by stating that Melissa George is a friend of mine. I’ve known her for many years, since my days at Vogue Australia, as we featured her in the magazine on many occasions.
I’ve never seen an episode of Home and Away ever, so I missed that seminal, defining moment, according to the local media, of her career thus far.
I know that she left the country many years ago, and tried to make her mark on the international circuit, which is no walk in the park for any actor.
She had minor successes, she had straight to video moments, she worked on series that were not picked up, she had cameo appearances in important films.
That’s how the business works. She also had many major successes. It seems to have escaped the current critics that, amongst other triumphs, she was a Golden Globe nominee for In Treatment.
She won a Logie for her performance in The Slap just recently. She’s a very, very accomplished actress.
But in the time honoured tradition of provincial Australian media, no one ever wants her to forget her humble beginnings.
God forbid she should get above her herself.
Shock horror that she should want to talk about something else, maybe something relevant and contemporary.
For years I’ve seen her good naturedly acknowledge when asked by some lame journalist that yes, she was in a soapie a long time ago.
I guess at some point, say after two decades of patience, she thought it was going to stop.
She probably supposed that as she grew up and evolved and worked hard and gained a more global perspective, so would the media.
Apparently not.
