Winners and Losers’ star Melissa Bergland embraces 30 and does not care what others think any more

ACTRESS Melissa Bergland, of Winners & Losers fame, says hitting 30 has empowered her, ‘loosening relationships with people that I find destructive.’

Debbie SchippNational Sunday TV guide editor

3 min read

August 30, 2015 - 12:00AM

News Corp Australia Network

Multi-talented mates: Bergland and co-star Virginia Gay show off their singing talents at a fundraiser. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

THE LAST WORD …

WITH MELISSA BERGLAND, WINNERS & LOSERS’ JENNY GROSS

“I WORKED in retail and hospitality before I got the role of Jenny, but when I talk about that I get this barrage of abuse from people who work in retail or hospitality saying ‘without those jobs you wouldn’t be where you are’.

So I want to clarify it’s not a reflection on those jobs. Unfortunately, it’s just I happened to work with a***holes (laughs).

Jenny has grown up a lot in five years. She was literally a very inexperienced virgin — and virgin in many senses — still living with her parents, directionless. Now she’s found drive and a career she is passionate about, she’s got a man who treats her well and she’s done with being used. She’s tougher. She’s learning to speak up for herself.

Melissa’s much-loved character Jenny in Winners & Losers.

Melissa Bergland fells empowered at hitting 30. Picture: Supplied / Channel Seven

I turned 30 recently and decided to just not give a shit anymore, which is empowering — just culling some things from my life that no longer serve me, loosening relationships with people that I find destructive or are just energy suckers; learning to say no. Maybe I’ve learned that from Jenny.

I felt like I struck gold (working with close friends and co-stars Mel Vallejo and Virginia Gay). Now (having worked on other projects) I’m starting to think people have the wrong ideas about actors — because I’ve not met one a***hole among them.

I do worry thought because they say if you can’t find the a***hole in your workplace, it might be you.

Multi-talented mates: Bergland and co-star Virginia Gay show off their singing talents at a fundraiser. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

Music came first for me. I started piano at the age of four. After my father passed away (Mel was 14) Mum took me on a cruise and there was this karaoke jazz bar thing and I got up and sang and my mum was like ‘oh my God, all right we’ll get you some lessons, because that’s something that needs to be fostered’.

I took singing lessons, joined the choir, then I got into the year 12 musical, and it was all over, because I got to sing dance and act. It kills me a little bit that I have to separate them sometimes.

I do get over being asked about being a curvy woman on TV, because I feel like it doesn’t need to be a thing anymore.

If we keep talking about it, then it’s a thing. Maybe I’m sick of it. Everyone has eyes. I’m aware of what I look like. In July I tweeted” can we please stop using the phrase real women. Yes, some women are gorgeous and naturally thin, they are not made of polystyrene”.

It gives me the shits because a lot of my friends are slips of things and they don’t work out and they are real women: they’re funny and brave and bold and intelligent. And people assume they are not ‘real’ because they are skinny and beautiful.

Melissa does not know if Winners is over. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

Melissa is #suddenlybrunette #loveit. Picture: Instagram

It was important Jenny looked a certain way because we didn’t want to make a big deal of that, ever. Nobody has spoken about Jenny’s size throughout the show.

It’s not affected her ability to get men, it’s not affected her ability to dress nicely, to look good, to get a good job. None of that has been an issue for her.

I feel very lucky portraying a character where her life wasn’t centred around that. She didn’t talk about it and her friends didn’t love her any less and nobody said to her ‘I’m just worried about your health’. Like f**k health. I can run five kilometres, can you?

If I drop 20kg for a role, or because I wanted to I’d be a traitor and have people turn on me, and then I’d say the same thing: ‘stop making a big deal’.

They never tell us (from season to season) if Winners & Losers is going to go again. They love to leave us hanging, every year we go off and do other jobs like we’re not coming back.

If this is the end, we can pretty much assume things will be happily ever after for Jenny ... but who knows? There’s always more to tell.”