Home and Away star Melissa George opens up on ‘devastation’ of Dieter Brummer’s death
The Aussie actress breaks her silence on Home and Away co-star Dieter Brummer’s de:ath.
It has been three decades since Melissa George starred in Home And Away, but the actor says she sometimes revisits the show by watching old episodes.
In a new interview with the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, the 49-year-old reflects on the death of her co-star Dieter Brummer, who played love interest Shane to George’s Angel in the mid-’90s.
“I do watch often because obviously Dieter’s no longer with us [Dieter Brummer, who played Shane, died in 2021], which is just a devastation beyond comprehension,” she told podcast host Sarrah Le Marquand.
“That’s just too many years of him suffering that was overlooked. It really breaks my heart because he was a beautiful man. It’s very sad.
“I’m not one to step out or make comments that people are gonna use for years to come. I’ve already done that and suffered the consequences. But I sort of kept silent.
“Shane and Angel was everything. I did rewatch the scene when he passed away on the rock on the beach – the final scene of Shane – and it was absolutely heartbreaking.”
George, who was only 16 when she joined the cast of Home And Away and became a household name, told Something To Talk About that the experience was “fame at its peak”.
“It was crazy to sell out Westfields and to have five levels of fans. Wow, wow, wow. I was very young,” she said.
“The power of Shane and Angel was huge. It was exactly the same [as Scott and Charlene on Neighbours]. I don’t know how many years [I joined Home And Away] after Kylie, but I know the similarities were exact.”
Melissa George breaks silence on Dieter Brummer’s death
So exact that recording contracts and offers to launch a music career started coming through. She was flown to London to meet with producers and head honchos of big labels.
“After about five meetings, I said, ‘Guys, you understand that I can’t sing at all. Like, at all. Have you even asked if I could sing after this fifth, first class trip to sign up to be the next pop star?’ They were like, ‘It’s OK. We’ll just work with it.’ And I’m like, ‘You don’t understand. I wanna be an actress’,” George told Le Marquand.
“It was very tempting. Big money, big contracts. Kylie Minogue’s my idol. I got offered every pantomime. I said, ‘I can’t sing. I can only act. I’m a very simple woman.’”
George, who is raising three sons in France, where she now lives, is set to front the new Binge series Ms. X, in which she plays a suburban mum who gets caught up in Auckland’s criminal underworld.
Though the shoot brought the Perth-born actor to New Zealand, she did not get the chance to fly home to Australia during filming.
“I wasn’t allowed because I was the lead, but my family came over,” George said. “My mother visited ‘cause I just had baby Lyor [in March 2024], so that was lovely. She got to see her grandson. It was a really good break for me, and also to do what I do best.
“I like to be on a set. I like to tell stories. I like to be good at my job and I love being a good mum. I think the parallel of the character was fighting for your kids. It’s interesting how far you will go to make sure that they’re in a good way.”