The star looks back on 10 years in Summer Bay as Alf Stewart’s feisty daughter.
A milestone is reached on Home and Away this month when Georgie Parker notches up 10 years as Roo Stewart, daughter of the soap’s legendary longest-serving character Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher).
While the character was among the original cast of the Australian soap back in 1988, Parker became the second actress to play the role from 2010, replacing Justine Clarke who left in 1989.
How did you feel about joining Home and Away back in 2010?
I really wanted to work with Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart). I always knew we’d get on, when there was talk of me joining he came up to me at an awards ceremony and said: ‘I hear you might be coming to play, wouldn’t that be good?’ I’d done many other shows on Channel 7, the same network as Home and Away, the offer came and I knew their approach to drama and it was a comfortable fit for me. There’s a real sense of family on the channel. And Roo is an interesting character, not a straight-up middle aged woman. She is ballsy and a rebel.
Were you worried about the part being recast?
Funnily enough Justine Clarke, the original Roo, is a good friend. We always take a selfie when we run into each other and send it to Ray – from your two daughters! It had been a long time since Justine left, and I assumed she wouldn’t want to go back to something she started with as she has grown way beyond the character. She is a luminous performer and her career has taken many fascinating and interesting turns. We actually worked together on a cop show called All Saints. Though it would be fun if she came in as my twin!
I did a drama for many years in Australia called A Country Practice, and was well aware of the cast and crew as we filmed in the next studio so we shared a green room. I did guest role when they were shooting the pilot, then when I joined the regular cast Home and Away had been going for a year. Nicolle Dickson, Alex Papps, I’d hang out and have lunch with all those original cast members. Later in the early 2000s, I did All Saints in the same studio in the era of Bec Cartwright, Tammin Sursok. I’ve been working alongside Home and Away for decades, my career was always in parallel with the show!
Do you still enjoy working with Ray Meagher?
He is a terrific man. He calls me ‘Parker’ and I call him ‘YOF’ which stands for ‘Your Other Father’. His number is actually stored in my phone as that! Ray is a great storyteller, very generous and has a wicked sense of humour. I love him. Alf has softened a bit, but he can still get riled up and give people what for. We need that kind of character on the show, you can’t have everyone holding hands and skipping off into the sunset!