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Melissa Jarrett
Melissa Jarrett is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Jade Amenta. Amenta was still at school when she auditioned for and won the role. She was initially contracted for a two-month guest stint. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 August 1989. Melissa was introduced as the girlfriend of established character Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid). She formed part of the serial's 1989 teenage character group and was involved in "TV's first love quadrangle". The character departed on 9 April 1991. In 2023, Amenta reprised her role for a guest appearance, which aired on 4 December.
Amenta was a student at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College when her drama teacher encouraged her to audition for Neighbours. She won the guest role of Melissa ahead of "a long list of hopefuls" when she was just 14 years old. She said "I didn't think I'd get it, but I'm glad I did." Amenta is the daughter of Australian director Pino Amenta. She told Darren Devlyn of TV Week that her father wanted her to concentrate on finishing her education rather than her acting ambitions. The role of Melissa was initially to last for two months and she was introduced as the girlfriend of Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid). Amenta had to balance her school work with her filming schedule.
A writer for the show's official website branded Melissa a "pretty, cheeky, fun and forward" who was confident around other characters. They added "She was fairly popular but managed to hide her epilepsy from her friends well. She had lived in Erinsborough all her life, but not in Ramsay street." The character was part of the show's teenage character group which included herself, Cody Willis (Amelia Frid), Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and Josh Anderson (Jeremy Angerson). Melissa's first relationship is with Todd but her disapproving mother bans her from seeing Todd. She is unhappy that he and Gary "Boof" Head (Stephen Hall) were involved in a break-in at the local car crushing office. Their relationship was played out with a series of "ups and downs" over a one-year period. Melissa's romance with Todd "tested" Amenta's acting skills, and she said it was "demanding". She noted that the kissing scenes had been embarrassing for Schmid, but not for her, saying "I don't mind kissing a bit... I am getting paid for it." Schmid said that he had enjoyed playing out his character's second relationship of 1989.
Melissa then dates Josh but reconciles with Todd, leaving Josh "out in the cold". The four characters later became embroiled in a story which was labelled "TV's first love quadrangle". Cody was in relationship with Josh but producers decided that Melissa would romance Josh while Cody would take her place as Todd's love interest. The characters remain secretive about their feelings until the truth is revealed and the new relationships are formed. Frid told Caron Eastgate from TV Week that "it's funny to be swapping partners, but I think it's very cute."
In another storyline shared with Josh, Todd and Cody, Melissa joins them in a game of strip poker. The scene required the males to strip almost naked until they are caught by Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy). In 1991, Angerson told a reporter from TV Hits that he was unhappy with the story. He had previously stripped in scenes but believed an actor's body should be private. Schmid also bemoaned Josh's storyline for being "embarrassing" and "awful", with numerous retakes and a "monotonous" day of filming. Amenta later revealed that it was one of the characters' most memorable scenes. She added that "I didn't realise how iconic that scene had become until I read about it and heard about it afterwards."
One issue led storyline for the character was suffering from the medical condition epilepsy. She manages to keep her illness mostly concealed from other characters. She is responsible with the condition as she is careful about taking her medication. Anthony Hayward wrote in his book "The who's who of soap operas" that "because her fits are rare, she remains a confident, outgoing teenager."
Amenta's departure from the show was confirmed in the April 1991 issue of TV Soap, and a reporter for the publication stated that she would be temporarily halting her acting career. Her character leaves Erinsborough, after saying "a tearful goodbye" to her friends, to move to the United States with her parents.
In 2023, Amenta reprised the role of Melissa and her return was confirmed in October that year. Amenta's return had been leaked online via social media network Facebook, after she was pictured on the Neighbours set at Nunawading studios earlier that year. Melissa's return features her arriving to support a protest against the closure of Erinsborough High, the school she used to attend. Promotional images revealed that Melissa would be interviewed by fellow returning character, Summer Hoyland (Jordy Lucas). Melissa returns during the episode broadcast on 4 December 2023.
Melissa Jarrett
Melissa Jarrett is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Jade Amenta. Amenta was still at school when she auditioned for and won the role. She was initially contracted for a two-month guest stint. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 August 1989. Melissa was introduced as the girlfriend of established character Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid). She formed part of the serial's 1989 teenage character group and was involved in "TV's first love quadrangle". The character departed on 9 April 1991. In 2023, Amenta reprised her role for a guest appearance, which aired on 4 December.
Amenta was a student at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College when her drama teacher encouraged her to audition for Neighbours. She won the guest role of Melissa ahead of "a long list of hopefuls" when she was just 14 years old. She said "I didn't think I'd get it, but I'm glad I did." Amenta is the daughter of Australian director Pino Amenta. She told Darren Devlyn of TV Week that her father wanted her to concentrate on finishing her education rather than her acting ambitions. The role of Melissa was initially to last for two months and she was introduced as the girlfriend of Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid). Amenta had to balance her school work with her filming schedule.
A writer for the show's official website branded Melissa a "pretty, cheeky, fun and forward" who was confident around other characters. They added "She was fairly popular but managed to hide her epilepsy from her friends well. She had lived in Erinsborough all her life, but not in Ramsay street." The character was part of the show's teenage character group which included herself, Cody Willis (Amelia Frid), Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and Josh Anderson (Jeremy Angerson). Melissa's first relationship is with Todd but her disapproving mother bans her from seeing Todd. She is unhappy that he and Gary "Boof" Head (Stephen Hall) were involved in a break-in at the local car crushing office. Their relationship was played out with a series of "ups and downs" over a one-year period. Melissa's romance with Todd "tested" Amenta's acting skills, and she said it was "demanding". She noted that the kissing scenes had been embarrassing for Schmid, but not for her, saying "I don't mind kissing a bit... I am getting paid for it." Schmid said that he had enjoyed playing out his character's second relationship of 1989.
Melissa then dates Josh but reconciles with Todd, leaving Josh "out in the cold". The four characters later became embroiled in a story which was labelled "TV's first love quadrangle". Cody was in relationship with Josh but producers decided that Melissa would romance Josh while Cody would take her place as Todd's love interest. The characters remain secretive about their feelings until the truth is revealed and the new relationships are formed. Frid told Caron Eastgate from TV Week that "it's funny to be swapping partners, but I think it's very cute."
In another storyline shared with Josh, Todd and Cody, Melissa joins them in a game of strip poker. The scene required the males to strip almost naked until they are caught by Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy). In 1991, Angerson told a reporter from TV Hits that he was unhappy with the story. He had previously stripped in scenes but believed an actor's body should be private. Schmid also bemoaned Josh's storyline for being "embarrassing" and "awful", with numerous retakes and a "monotonous" day of filming. Amenta later revealed that it was one of the characters' most memorable scenes. She added that "I didn't realise how iconic that scene had become until I read about it and heard about it afterwards."
One issue led storyline for the character was suffering from the medical condition epilepsy. She manages to keep her illness mostly concealed from other characters. She is responsible with the condition as she is careful about taking her medication. Anthony Hayward wrote in his book "The who's who of soap operas" that "because her fits are rare, she remains a confident, outgoing teenager."
Amenta's departure from the show was confirmed in the April 1991 issue of TV Soap, and a reporter for the publication stated that she would be temporarily halting her acting career. Her character leaves Erinsborough, after saying "a tearful goodbye" to her friends, to move to the United States with her parents.
In 2023, Amenta reprised the role of Melissa and her return was confirmed in October that year. Amenta's return had been leaked online via social media network Facebook, after she was pictured on the Neighbours set at Nunawading studios earlier that year. Melissa's return features her arriving to support a protest against the closure of Erinsborough High, the school she used to attend. Promotional images revealed that Melissa would be interviewed by fellow returning character, Summer Hoyland (Jordy Lucas). Melissa returns during the episode broadcast on 4 December 2023.