Home and Away star Lynne McGranger has spilled on the behind-the-scenes magic of the storyline that has fans talking.
With the hilarious fake relationship between Lynne’s character Irene Roberts and John Palmer (played by Shane Withington), the actress shared that their close friendship helped make it possible.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Home and Away stars Lynne McGranger, Ada Nicodemou and James Stewart.
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The Aussie TV veterans had known each other for more than 13 years when Shane, previously known for the Channel 7 soap A Country Practice, arrived in Summer Bay.
What helped strengthen their relationship to shine on screen was a “hilarious” encounter about two years into Shane’s time on Home and Away.
“About two years after Shane joined the show we were both in the green room and I said to him, ‘You married?’” Lynne tells 7Life in an exclusive interview.
“He goes, ‘Yeah I’ve got a partner, we’ve been together for 30 years at the time and I said, ‘Oh what’s her name,’ and he said Anne.”
Shane was referring to his on-screen A Country Practice co-star Anne Tenney who played Molly on the show.
The on-screen couple was beloved by Country Practice viewers during the 1980s.
Many remember the heartbreaking moment Molly died after a leukaemia battle, lying on the couch watching her husband Brendan (played by Shane) with their daughter Chloe.
Lynne was one of the many fans of the fictional couple – and had no idea they had ended up together in real life until that moment.
“She plays Molly on A Country Practice, and I nearly died!” Lynne says.
“I was like ‘Are you kidding me, are you two together in real life’?
“I suddenly turned into this hopeless soap romantic, I couldn’t believe it and (was) so excited that the real Brendan and the real Molly were actually together in real life.
“It was the most exciting thing ever!”
Lynne says that after that revelation, she and Shane “always got on and enjoyed working together”.
“He’s such a darling and so fun to work with.
“What I love about Shane is that he actually reminds me of myself, not afraid to really go for it, go over the top and then let the director pull it back.”
Free rein
The actress says that for the fake Irene-John love story, producers allowed the actors “free rein”.
“It was so fun, and I think it has been well-received because often our storylines are quite dark,” Lynne says.
“Particularly with the post-explosion stuff that’s going on, I think a bit of levity is great for the show.
“Shane and I just had the best time and he’s really a lovely human being, he and Annie are divine and we’re great mates.”
This storyline is just one of hundreds in which Lynne has partaken across her more than 30 years with Home and Away.
Reflecting back, Lynne points out two that were “hilarious”.
“I think we’re going way, way back to when Irene decided to be a fortune teller,” she says.
“For whatever reason, producers decided to turn Irene into a gypsy and she was going to read crystal balls.
“There was also the country and western storyline where I had this tiny little white outfit that had lights on it.
“So many of the storylines are dark and sad … so all those funnier storylines, like the one with Shane that we had so much fun doing, it’s really joyous.”
After all these fun and sad storylines, Lynne has been recognised with her first TV WEEK Silver Logie nomination for Most Popular Actress for her role as Irene.
“I still feel like it’s not real,” she tells 7Life.
“It’s very surreal, I can’t explain it.”
How to vote for Lynne McGranger
Nominated for: TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Most Popular Actress.
Voting is now open for all popular awards categories, and remains open until the end of the red carpet telecast at 7.30pm AEST on Sunday, July 30.
There is one exception, however — the coveted TV WEEK Gold Logie Award, which, for the first time, will stay open throughout the telecast and close at 10.30pm AEST.
You can vote now for your favourites from the shortlisted nominees at www.tvweeklogies.com.au.
Watch the 63rd TV WEEK Logie Awards exclusively on Channel 7 and 7plus on Sunday, 30 July from 7pm.
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