EXCLUSIVE: Nathan Murray reveals the advice he received from Georgie Parker and Ray Meagher.
From Chris Hemsworth and Isla Fisher to Samara Weaving and Tammin Sursok, there have been plenty of Australian actors who got their start onHome and Away before making it big in Hollywood. Since the soap opera premiered in 1988, several established actors have also been part of the cast, helping guide new talent through their first acting gig.
This tradition has continued for almost four decades, with Summer Bay icons Georgie Parker and Ray Meagher recently taking newcomer Nathan Murray under their wings. The 15-year-old actor and model, who has already built an impressive international resume, appearing in Super Bowl commercials and American Horror Story, is set to make his Home and Away debut this week as Cohen.
The character falls into the foster care of Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker) after his mother, Samantha (Heidi May), with whom he has been living in a tent, is arrested for stealing.
Nathan tells Yahoo Lifestyle that while he was filled with nerves on his first day of filming, the show’s cast and crew quickly took him under their wings.
“Everybody was very welcoming, all the directors, all the behind-the-scenes people, the actors, and they would help me along my way,” he details. “If I got a line wrong, everybody would reassure me and help me. If anything happened, they were always right on top of it, and it was just great to work with them. It was a really good environment.”
‘Always there to help me’
Nathan shares that he immediately got along with Georgie when they met filming scenes earlier this year, and she became somewhat of a mentor to him.
“She was very funny and nice, and I just loved filming with her. She was always in a good mood, she was always motivating me and helping me with my acting and everything. It was just really great,” he gushes.
He had a similar experience with the show’s longest-serving cast member, Ray Meagher, who he describes as a “really kind and down-to-earth guy”.
“He was really supportive whenever I would mess up my lines or I needed help with something, he was always there to help me with it as well, which was really good,” he remarks.
Georgie Parker and Ray Meagher’s key advice
Both Gold Logie-winning actors offered advice to Nathan on his first day of filming that he says will stick with him forever.
“When I first got there, I was freaking out. And then I talked to them and they told me, ‘You can change that nervousness into excitement, because they’re very interchangeable feelings’,” he recalls.
“So I’d change it into excitement, I’d put it into my lines, and I would act a lot better. And at some point, the nerves just started to go away after being able to work with them every day.”
