Marilyn Chambers - Emily Symons

[alexx]

I have never said that Emily Symons look 20 years older than she is... She is a really beautiful woman in real life. But there is a difference between how the actors and actresses look and behave in real life and how they are styled and written when they are playing the charachters. And I wish that people in here could be better at seing the difference between critisism of the charachter and critisism of the actor.

And Marilyn is probably the most styled charachter in home and away. Emily Symons don't look like this on pictures from her life outside the show.

I have seen discussions on Norwegian forums about the same. I wish the writers and producers could stop writing and styling Marilyn like she was much older. The styling of Roo is better, she is at the same age. But Roo is written like an immature kid sometimes. I miss the days when all the charachters, but especially the adults were written more realistic.

And it feels sometimes that the writers don't know how to do with them.

But that is part of the character. I know that you don't mean Emily Symons looks old, but if you think Marilyn appears older than her age, fair enough - that's a major part of the character. She's always been perceived as 'older' by some of the audience (I don't personally perceive her as older, I perceive her as a bubbly 30-something, with a perhaps slightly dated/unique dress sense),

I remember reading an interview with Emily Symons back in 1998 and she said that people in the street told her that she looked old and ugly in the show and asked her why she let the producers do that to her.... but Emily always seems very adamant that Marilyn should stay as she is. That really is what helps to make a character, a character, rather than an actor just being themselves with a different name (which seems to happen to almost all of the characters in H&A).

As you say, Marilyn is pretty much the most stylised in the show and I think that's great attention to detail, if they started to tone it all down and make Marilyn look more like Emily, then she would start to become Emily instead of Marilyn.

They used to put a lot more attention to detail when it came to defining a character, giving them a distinct personality and then dressing them according to that personality (like Irene for example. Irene would never dress in the clothes she wears these days and that's because they've changed the character so that she is more Lynne McGranger instead of Irene). They even did it with the sets and dressing the houses to suit the characters personality.... but not anymore. Now H&A concentrates on making all of the characters and the set's very glamorous and it's to the major detriment of the characters. Marilyn is just about the only character left who has a distinct personalty which also shows in the way she dresses. Even then they've completely watered her personalty down since 2010.

Edited January 28, 2015 by alexx

[jodlebirger]

I have seen a lot of comments through the last 7-8 years, that some actors are just themselves. And I think that is extremely unfair. Some actors/actresses acts out different personalities and in different situations, but it it still is like the charachter is like a normal or an average person.. But it doesn't mean that the actor is playing themselves. I think it is far easier to play out these charicatured roles, than something which is close up to normal life but still is not your life and to make it look realistic.

[j.laur5]

I have never said that Emily Symons look 20 years older than she is... She is a really beautiful woman in real life. But there is a difference between how the actors and actresses look and behave in real life and how they are styled and written when they are playing the charachters. And I wish that people in here could be better at seing the difference between critisism of the charachter and critisism of the actor.

And Marilyn is probably the most styled charachter in home and away. Emily Symons don't look like this on pictures from her life outside the show.

I have seen discussions on Norwegian forums about the same. I wish the writers and producers could stop writing and styling Marilyn like she was much older. The styling of Roo is better, she is at the same age. But Roo is written like an immature kid sometimes. I miss the days when all the charachters, but especially the adults were written more realistic.

And it feels sometimes that the writers don't know how to do with them.

But that is part of the character. I know that you don't mean Emily Symons looks old, but if you think Marilyn appears older than her age, fair enough - that's a major part of the character. She's always been perceived as 'older' by some of the audience (I don't personally perceive her as older, I perceive her as a bubbly 30-something, with a perhaps slightly dated/unique dress sense),

I remember reading an interview with Emily Symons back in 1998 and she said that people in the street told her that she looked old and ugly in the show and asked her why she let the producers do that to her.... but Emily always seems very adamant that Marilyn should stay as she is. That really is what helps to make a character, a character, rather than an actor just being themselves with a different name (which seems to happen to almost all of the characters in H&A).

As you say, Marilyn is pretty much the most stylised in the show and I think that's great attention to detail, if they started to tone it all down and make Marilyn look more like Emily, then she would start to become Emily instead of Marilyn.

They used to put a lot more attention to detail when it came to defining a character, giving them a distinct personality and then dressing them according to that personality (like Irene for example. Irene would never dress in the clothes she wears these days and that's because they've changed the character so that she is more Lynne McGranger instead of Irene). They even did it with the sets and dressing the houses to suit the characters personality.... but not anymore. Now H&A concentrates on making all of the characters and the set's very glamorous and it's to the major detriment of the characters. Marilyn is just about the only character left who has a distinct personalty which also shows in the way she dresses. Even then they've completely watered her personalty down since 2010.

I think Irene is just becoming more prim and proper.

[dee123]

I have never said that Emily Symons look 20 years older than she is... She is a really beautiful woman in real life. But there is a difference between how the actors and actresses look and behave in real life and how they are styled and written when they are playing the charachters. And I wish that people in here could be better at seing the difference between critisism of the charachter and critisism of the actor.

And Marilyn is probably the most styled charachter in home and away. Emily Symons don't look like this on pictures from her life outside the show.

I have seen discussions on Norwegian forums about the same. I wish the writers and producers could stop writing and styling Marilyn like she was much older. The styling of Roo is better, she is at the same age. But Roo is written like an immature kid sometimes. I miss the days when all the charachters, but especially the adults were written more realistic.

And it feels sometimes that the writers don't know how to do with them.

But that is part of the character. I know that you don't mean Emily Symons looks old, but if you think Marilyn appears older than her age, fair enough - that's a major part of the character. She's always been perceived as 'older' by some of the audience (I don't personally perceive her as older, I perceive her as a bubbly 30-something, with a perhaps slightly dated/unique dress sense),

I remember reading an interview with Emily Symons back in 1998 and she said that people in the street told her that she looked old and ugly in the show and asked her why she let the producers do that to her.... but Emily always seems very adamant that Marilyn should stay as she is. That really is what helps to make a character, a character, rather than an actor just being themselves with a different name (which seems to happen to almost all of the characters in H&A).

As you say, Marilyn is pretty much the most stylised in the show and I think that's great attention to detail, if they started to tone it all down and make Marilyn look more like Emily, then she would start to become Emily instead of Marilyn.

They used to put a lot more attention to detail when it came to defining a character, giving them a distinct personality and then dressing them according to that personality (like Irene for example. Irene would never dress in the clothes she wears these days and that's because they've changed the character so that she is more Lynne McGranger instead of Irene). They even did it with the sets and dressing the houses to suit the characters personality.... but not anymore. Now H&A concentrates on making all of the characters and the set's very glamorous and it's to the major detriment of the characters. Marilyn is just about the only character left who has a distinct personalty which also shows in the way she dresses. Even then they've completely watered her personalty down since 2010.

I think Irene is just becoming more prim and proper.

Which should be totally foreign to her. Prim & proper should be nowhere near Irene.

Edited February 8, 2015 by dee123

[j.laur5]

Why?.

I like Irene being prim and proper!.

[goldenmeadow]

Shes dating a guy who looks 10 years older than her which is making her look a bit out of it

She is so hot, she should be being persued by a guy in his 30s or something....

most guys that age fancy her anyway !

[alexx]

I like Irene being prim and proper!.

It's completely out of character if you look at who she was/where she came from. Irene was a working class woman with working class ideologies.

I just don't think people like Irene change as dramatically as she has in H&A and lose pretty much all of the characteristics that gave the character so much life in the first place, particularly because all of those changes took place within ten years without any reason on screen. I just think it's bad writing and inconsistent writing. When Dan Bennett came on board the the flow of characterisation and consistency was damaged and Irene was one of the victims of that I think.

Mod edit: Starting to wander

Edited February 8, 2015 by John

[j.laur5]

But Irene's character has always been changing and she may be happy to become prim and proper.

[dee123]

On 08/02/2015 at 6:23 PM, j.laur5 said:

Why?.

 

I like Irene being prim and proper!.

Cause' this isn't My Fair Lady. Do i want her to look and act like a homeless person? no, of course not But i don't want her to look and have the characteristics of the ladies we have occasionally seen with money and the really big houses on the show, like Donna De Bono for example. That's just not Irene.

 

Please disregard that Irene's house is probably worth millions these days

Edited March 31, 2016 by dee123

[j.laur5]

12 hours ago, dee123 said:

Cause' this isn't My Fair Lady. Do i want her to look and act like a homeless person? no, of course not But i don't want her to look and have the characteristics of the ladies we have occasionally seen with money and the really big houses on the show, like Donna De Bono for example. That's just not Irene.

 

Please disregard that Irene's house is probably worth millions these days

I mean more Prim and Proper like Ailsa was.