02.04 am, Tuesday May 22 2012

Home and Away star accuses show of racism

08:00 AEDT Thu Feb 16 2012
By ninemsn staff
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far
Jay Laga'aia has ranted about racism on Twitter. (AAP)
Jay Laga'aia has ranted about racism on Twitter. (AAP)

The latest from
CANNES FROCKS
In pics: From dull to daring to diva-licious!
ROBIN GIBB TRIBUTE
Watch: The Bee Gees greatest video hits

A former Home and Away actor has accused the show's producers of being racist and dumping him because they only wanted one ethnic star.

Jay Laga'aia, who was born in New Zealand and is of Samoan descent, attacked the Channel Seven soapie on Twitter.

"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," he tweeted. Laga'aia joined Home and Away in November 2009 playing Reverend Elijah Johnson.

He worked on the show for several months before leaving to work on a separate project and agreeing to return in November 2010.

He was dropped from the soapie at the end of last year, but his character will continue to appear on the show until April.

It is believed the other ethnic character his tweet refers to is long-running Home and Away star Ada Nicodemou, who is Greek-Cypriot. Laga'aia's character shared a romance with Nicodemou's character during Laga'aia's first stint on Home and Away.

His attack comes after Underbelly actor Firass Dirani accused commercial TV networks of having a "white Australia" policy and called for them to write shows for "different cultural backgrounds".

Laga'aia backed his calls, saying: "Hats off to you Firass Dirani, for a call to stop commercial network producers casting only white actors. Only on Australian screens. Shame!"

But Channel Seven has denied Laga'aia's accusations, saying his contract ended because his character's storyline had "reached its natural conclusion".

 

Most popular

 Audio of murder heard at Milat sentencingParts of a 15-minute audio recording of a youth's murder have been played at the sentencing hearing of his killers, who include a relative of Ivan Milat.
 Vic gambler fails to recover millionsA gambler has failed to recover more than $20 million lost during a $1.4 billion splurge at Melbourne's Crown Casino.
 Cold case DNA found in secret compartmentA secret compartment found in the hotel room of a murdered NSW nanny has shed new light on the murder of the 20-year-old in 1991.
 Twin's 'sixth sense' locates tumourA Sydney man suffering from persistent headaches convinced his identical twin brother to get an MRI, discovering a brain tumour by doing so.
 Great white shark lurks off BondiFishermen have released footage of a massive great white shark encountered off Sydney's Bondi Beach.
 WA man faces death penalty in MalaysiaA West Australian man has been charged with drug trafficking in Malaysia and is facing the death penalty.
 Key police document missing for 12 yearsQuestions have been raised about whether a surveillance operation targeting more than 100 NSW police officers was conducted properly.
 Bride's big day marred by Occupy protest

A US couple's big day was thrown into disarray when they emerged from church and were confronted with a massive crowd of Occupy Wall Street protesters.

 Secret compartment sparks murder case hopeA secret compartment under a northern NSW motel bed has sparked renewed hope of solving a 21-year-old murder.
 40 asylum seekers to live in Aussie homesUnder a program, participating families will be eligible for a small stipend to provide short-term home stay to asylum seekers moving out of detention.
Be our fan on Facebook
Most Recommended
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete