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Melissa George approved of The Morning Show questions

Morning Show producer says Melissa George had no objections to a script prior to her interview. But then it all went wrong.

If there was any trouble between Melissa George and The Morning Show, it wasn’t evident in what went to air.

But since the interview aired on Friday morning, George has had plenty to say, much of which is a surprise to the TMS crew.

She accused the show of wanting to talk about Home and Away when she was there to plug McHappy Day, tweeting:

Again, it’s not about mentioning the past, it’s about ONLY mentioning the past. Like we failed and did SO badly for the past 20 years.

It’s not that I am forgetting where I came from. It’s that I was home to raise money for mchappy day and channel 7 only spoke of H&A.

@Kateness22 anyone can ask me about the past, I always smiled and spoke about it, of course I am proud. But the today show was mean. I hurt.

It’s 20 years ago. I always embrace the past, am used to being mis quoted, and love my fans, but the tall poppy syndrome is pushing us away.

TMS Executive Producer Sarah Stinson told TV Tonight George was shown a script 15 minutes before the interview to which she replied, “I don’t care what you ask me.”

But things went awry when a “coming up” clip ran before an ad break which included Home and Away footage, with George threatening to walk.

The interview with Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies went ahead, where Home and Away was mentioned once, with more time spent on her new series Hunted (coming this month to SBS) and McHappy Day. But there was no “meltdown” on air.

Yesterday the story went further, with George telling the Sun-Herald she loved coming home but….

‘I love this city so much,” she said of Sydney. ”And 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.”

”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’d rather be having a croissant and a little espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City,” she said.

”Right behind my head was pictures of Angel and on the montage they called me ‘Home and Away actress Melissa George’,” she said. ”Now, it’s because it’s Channel Seven, so 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.”

Stinson told TV Tonight, “The moment was so surreal and her diatribe so irrational, I half expected Alf Stewart to come around the corner and deliver the next line.

“Melissa saw the questions before the interview and was happy with them.

“There were absolutely no sanctions imposed.

“We didn’t mention Home and Away at all in the interview, so I don’t know why she insists on saying it’s all we spoke about.

“1.44 out of a 4 minute chat was about McHappy Day.”

On The Jonathan Ross Show (which aired on Saturday night on ABC1) clips also included Home and Away and George happily answered questions before moving onto Hunted.

Stinson notes that former Home and Away stars including Ryan Kwanten, Dannii Minogue and Chris Hemsworth have all been happy to chat about their years on the Seven soap.

“It provided all of us with some decent dinner party fodder over the weekend,” she said.

36 Responses

  1. The only reason she put up with Ross mentioning H&A is that it’s the UK and Ross is a force to be reckoned with. Here…different story. She came across as little Miss Attitude and her comments are a bit OTT. New York, espresso in Paris, french bulldog. Oh my lord. Shame Melissa, shame.

  2. I think she made some pretty unnecessary comments but any producer that allows his presenters to refer to her as “Home and Away’s Melissa George”deserves all they get. She is a very accomplished actor and lot of her work is quite brilliant (“The Slap”, “In Treatment”) it’s true her first big break is a part of her back story, but Australian media tend to concentrate on just that and ignore all of the actor’s many other accomplishments and that needs to change.I cant imagine Chris Hemsworth being introduced like that, its because he, Clooney etc have made more higher profile projects. George’s credits have been more high end, non mainstream, which allows a producer to think “Heck all the dumb public will remember her for, is H&A”

  3. Well said David regarding the MX interview,after reading it this morning I was hoping some one else would see it as a stitch up.
    Over the years 7 seems to be the worst at generating ill feeling in interviews and the cross promotional aspect of their spin people seems to be by far the most unscrupulous.
    Working with a 7 affiliate years ago in Queensland they were so obsessed with cross promotion micro management of spin any decision that was made became an exercise in network politics.
    The recent broadcast of the Spring Racing Carnival was just 4 or 5 hours of cross promotion interrupted by 2 minutes racing every 40 minutes.

  4. Admitted on The Ross show that her little invention has made her a lot more money than her acting and her need to over play the British accent makes her appear pompous.
    I believe the overacted “Bogan” style accent that she portrayed in the clip that Ross played has led to her trying to over compensate and appear over polished.
    Having watched the first 5 Epps of Hunted it becomes obvious she is a lot more polished with an American accent and the pursed lip thing she does when speaking with a British accent is tedious at best and does become very overacted.
    I believe she is a competent Actress who seems to have identity issues that may be starting to effect her image and cloud her judgement.
    I also believe the numbers for Hunted are a little ordinary,that may also be leading to a little angst.

  5. I have been a fan of Melissa’s work over the years, she went to the US and did the audition trail and took bit parts which then lead to other parts etc and has build a solid work history. I would have thought she would know not to kick people while you are on top as you may need them if you are at the bottom again.

    I guess she wouldn’t like to part of an interview show like Inside the Actors Studio as it is all about the journey your career has taken. Perhaps there is more to this than meets the eye as I think Kelsey Grammar had a dummy spit also on Sunrise with their line of questioning.

  6. Yet another Aussie ‘star’ bagging the show that made them famous.

    Melissa – millions around the world know you as ‘Angel’ on Home and Away. It might not be the greatest show on earth – but be proud that it was this show that kick started your career in Hollywood.

    If it is so stressful to return to Australia – then may I suggest you don’t come ‘home’ and just stay ‘away’.

  7. “We didn’t mention Home and Away at all in the interview, so I don’t know why she insists on saying it’s all we spoke about.” In the interview the important bit there…George also didn’t have a hissy fit in the interview either! I’m guessing from the time she walked in the building Home and Away was mentioned backstage way more than she liked, the coming up clip was the last straw. I say this is good spin and selling my Stinson, and of course some over-reaction from George.

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