The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone

“I felt frustrated, because I wanted them to understand that I’m a girl,” says Georgie, aged 9 yrs old “….on the inside I feel like a girl.”

Insight at such a young age is just part of the Georgie Stone viewers have come to know, mostly through her Neighbours role as Mackenzie Hargreaves.

But there’s a far more important side to Stone than her soapie contribution, revealed in the new Netflix documentary The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone.

An advocate for transgender children, Stone became the youngest person to receive hormone blockers in Australia.

But those laws required court action before they could be approved. Such legal hurdles were traumatic to individuals and families already dealing with multiple pressures.

The short film by director Maya Newell (Growing up Gayby, Gayby Baby, In My Blood It Runs) and a fight by her family to overturn legislation.

“Legislation through parliament is our last hope, so please help us,” asks mum, Rebekah.

The film has the benefit of home videos recorded by parents and actors Greg Stone and Rebekah Robertson. It also centres heavily around the day of gender affirmation surgery.

It’s a day full of mixed emotions for Georgie.

“I don’t have the body that I want, but I’m still female. I just don’t want this operation to change who I am….I still want to be Georgie,” she reveals.

As she enters surgery, the film cleverly juxtaposes childhood photos to highlight Stone’s path to this moment.

There are glimpses of the struggles Georgie has faced such as hiding in a cubicle at school, to acceptance from her twin brother Harry who, at even 8 years of age, agreed to keep Georgie’s identity private.

It’s clear there is also a loving, supportive family, who are clearly instrumental in Georgie growing into such a grounded, articulate young woman -she was awarded an OAM in 2020. And the family must have sacrificed plenty for the associated medical expenses, but which are not acknowledged.

For TV fans, the Neighbours inclusion is only brief, as Stone talks to writers about her experiences in the hope of storylines and production inclusion. But you get the sense that acting is only a small part of a much bigger picture for this amazing young woman in her quest to become her true self and make the path easier for those to follow.

As a Royal Children’s Hospital specialist reminds her, “We will always remember that it was you, Georgie, that fought this first.”

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone screens Thursday on Netflix.