Ex-Home and Away actor Jay Laga'aia has lashed out at the soapie for being racist in a bitter Twitter rant. Picture: Brad Hunter Source: The Daily Telegraph
A HOME and Away actor has accused the soapie of being racist in a bitter Twitter rant after being dropped from the show.
Jay Laga'aia, of Samoan descent, attacked the Channel 7 show for dumping him because it already had a star of ethnic background.
Do you think Australian TV represents our society well?
Have your say in our Facebook discussion.�
"As someone who lost his job on H&A because they couldn't write two ethnics that weren't together, I'd like the chance to ply my trade," Laga'aia tweeted.
The "two ethnics" was believed to be a reference to himself and long-serving Home And Away star Ada Nicodemou, the Greek Cypriot-born actress.
Laga'aia played two stints as the Rev Elijah Johnson before finishing at the end of last year. He will be seen on air until April.
His attack came just a day after actor Firass Dirani (Underbelly: The Golden Mile) called for commercial TV to dump a perceived "white Australia" policy and cast the "different flavours, different cultures" of contemporary Australia.
"Hopefully, the networks start writing shows that cater for different actors and different cultural backgrounds," Dirani said.
"Hats off to you Firass Dirani, for a call to stop commercial network producers casting only white actors. Only on Australian screens. Shame!" Laga'aia tweeted earlier.
Channel 7 strongly denied Laga'aia's claim that he was sacked and that Home and Away was racist.
Seven said his contract ended because his character's storyline "reached a natural conclusion".
"Jay's comments are offensive," a Channel 7 spokesman said.
"We have great regard for Jay and his work on Home and Away during the last two years. It is insulting to suggest that Home and Away is racist. His character's storyline reached a natural conclusion."
Laga'aia, who is from New Zealand, spent 18 months playing Rev Johnson. He was on air from January to July 2010 and since last March.
He starred in the ABC's Bed of Roses and is a regular presenter on Play School. He is best known for playing Sen-Constable Tommy Tavita in Water Rats.
0 comments:
Post a Comment