Soap stars in crisis Pia and Johnny
She may be beautiful and a Best New Talent Logie nominee, but she’s not fitting into Summer Bay THE TRUTH ABOUT PRINCESS PIA They can’t stand her!
With her gorgeous smile, endearing dimples and stunning physique, Home and Away’s hottest new recruit Pia Miller should be the toast of Summer Bay.
But behind the scenes, the 32-year-old is becoming the talk of the town – for all the wrong reasons. “People don’t like Pia,” reveals a set insider. “At first I couldn’t understand why and thought it might be jealousy because she’s beautiful, but it’s not that. She rubs people up the wrong way. She has one of the smallest acting portfolios on the show, but carries on like she’s a fivetime Oscar winner.” Matters aren’t helped by Pia’s obsession with her modelling career. “She throws it in their faces any chance she gets. The cast can’t help but roll their eyes when she starts on one of her ‘model tangents’. Some even go for a cup of tea as an excuse to get away from her bragging. On other occasions, she’ll pull out her phone on set and show everyone the paparazzi shots of her in a bikini. The rest of the cast can’t stand it – all of them get papped, but she’s the only one who has to make a big scene about it.”
The cold shoulder
Insiders say the mother-oftwo, who’s scored legions of fans with her flawless good looks and by posting a stream of sexy selfies on Instagram, has ruffled more than a few feathers in her short time on the Palm Beach set in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
While long-standing stars such as Ada Nicodemou and Lynne Mcgranger have worked hard to cultivate a close family vibe on and off set, Pia – who split from her AFL star husband Brad Miller last year – has never shown any interest in making friends.
“Some of the younger cast are quite annoyed because she barely gives them the time of day. She treats them like they’re below her, but forgets that when she started on the show in 2014 with only a few years of acting experience under her belt, they were the ones who helped her and were there for her,” says our insider.
“Now, she can barely remember their names, let alone take the time to have a conversation with them.
“She ignores the hair and makeup artists, refusing to chat and plugging in her headphones or sitting in silence reading her lines. If she does speak, they get frustrated because she has such unrealistic expectations.”
The lone star
The division between Pia and her co-stars couldn’t have been more obvious than at the Logies, when she was nominated for Best New Talent.
“No one was surprised she didn’t win, but she didn’t bother to celebrate the nomination with her co-stars,” adds our insider.
“Pia was more concerned about hanging out with her boyfriend or networking with ‘more important’ people than attending the Seven party. When she did turn up, it was up to her co-stars to prop her up because she’d drunk way too much!”
‘The cast even go for a cup of tea as an excuse to avoid her bragging’