Home And Away veterans Ray Meagher and Georgie Parker should have had some arguments by now after 13 years of gruelling days on set and sharing countless scenes.
But when Woman’s Day argues that there must have been a falling out during the past ten years, the Australian actors who play Alf Stewart and his daughter Ruth “Roo” Stewart laugh.
Ray, 78, cracks a chuckle and then says seriously, “We’re both very, very privileged to have the sort of working connection that we do,” adding, “We fight all the time, like cats and dogs, the crew have to break us apart.”
CUPCAKE DATES
Georgie states with affection, “He might get weary of me but I don’t get sick of him.” Georgie refers to Ray as her other father. She says that the close-knit pair really finds excuses to spend time together rather than getting bored with one another.
“Ray will remark, “Let’s go in to that cafe and get a coffee” if we are both travelling to the same destination (Sydney’s Palm Beach) and have a half-hour.
In fact, Georgie thinks Ray is a huge reason she’s stayed on the soap for so long since their connection is so strong.
“I’m overjoyed to be connected to [Alf], a legendary figure. It also means that I get to work with Ray for the most of my sequences, which is a significant incentive for me to continue with the programme “the 58-year-old claims.
She doesn’t anticipate Ray, who has portrayed Alf on the show since the very first episode in 1988, to change his role any time soon.
Georgie, who started working on the programme in 2010, says, “We both appreciate getting up and coming to work.”
The two are keeping quiet on what Home And Away 2023 storylines will entail, but Ray believes the show is now such a well-oiled machine that he isn’t at all surprised at its continued popularity 35 years after it first appeared on our screens.
Ray chuckles, “It would take the [new] folks at least three years to mess up the strength of what the programme is currently, even if our production crew changed, the writers all changed, and they hired people who were hopeless.
Both agree that the fans play a significant role in Home And Away’s continued appeal. Ray, one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television, declares, “Without them, we have no work.” Ray can never leave the house without being recognised. He says, “It comes with the territory.
If they want a signed item from Georgie jokes, they must act quickly! She chuckles, “Ray moves so quickly, I [fail] to keep up with him. Therefore, when people recognise him, he has already left the area by the time they do.
