The Summer Bay star reveals what really goes on behind the scenes
- by
Erin Doyle
It’s every actor’s dream for their character to be tasked with a huge storyline on the show they’re working on.
Home and Away’s James Stewart was lucky enough to receive a demanding plot for him to sink his teeth into when his character Justin Morgan went through a health crisis this season.
WATCH: James Stewart says daughter inspired him to get fit
And speaking to the UK’s Digital Spy, James, 45, has shared an insight into the way Summer Bay stars are informed they’ll be taking on scenes that become major driving forces of the show.
"There are several times in a year where the producers will bring you upstairs and they give you a pitch for an arc. When I say the word arc, that's like eight to 12 weeks of a particular story,” James told the publication.
Home and Away's James Stewart (pictured) has shared some behind-the-scenes secrets from the long-running soap.
New Idea/ Are Media syndication
He continued: "Ray Meagher [who plays Alf Stewart] once said to me, when I first joined the show, there are A scenes, B scenes and C scenes. C scenes, you're up the back making the cup of tea. B scenes, you're kind of delivering the cup of tea, and A scenes, the cup of tea falls on your lap and you're the guy that has to deal with the pain of it. So all of a sudden Justin got an A storyline.”
It’s not the first time Home and Away actors have revealed what goes into the magic behind the scenes of putting one of Australia’s most iconic show’s together.
Justin's health shock was a major Home and Away plot this season.
Channel Seven
“I heard on some sets, you find out when you read the scripts... do they sit you down on Home and Away and tell you that your time’s up?” host Stav Davidson asked.
Ray responded: “I think everyone is different, and officially it's down to their agent.”
But it seems the agents don’t always want to break the bad news and Ray added that some of his co-stars will see scripts and realise: “Oh my God, I'm not in this!”
Laughing, he clarified, “But normally, it's done in a fairly orderly sort of manner at that place!”
Earlier this year, Ray Meagher (pictured) revealed some of his co-stars weren't told they were being killed off until they read it in the script.
Erin DoyleAs Digital Managing Editor - Commerce Content at Are Media, Erin Doyle heads up the team creating shoppable content on all brands, covering everything from the latest products to the hottest experiences. When she's not working, she can be found dreaming of her next travel destination.