Character Creation and Casting
In October 1999, the Scully family, consisting of parents, Lyn (Janet Andrewartha) and Joe (Shane Connor) and siblings Stephanie (Carla Bonner), Felicity (Holly Valance) and Michelle were introduced to Neighbours. They were the first new family to move into Ramsay Street since Ruth Wilkinson (Ailsa Piper) and her children arrived in 1996. The actors began filming their first scenes twelve weeks prior to their on screen debuts. Kate Keltie was thirteen when she was cast as youngest daughter, Michelle. Michelle was said to be twelve years old and "occasionally petulant but always lovable."
In November 2002, it was announced that Keltie was to leave Neighbours at the end of the year to go back to school. Keltie's decision to leave the show came close to the departure of her on-screen sister, Holly Valance (Felicity Scully). Keltie originally chose to leave in August, but later agreed to stay on till the end of year. Of her departure, she said "I'd like to move on and do other things because Neighbours has been such a big part of my life for the past three years. I definitely don't want to be typecast. A lot of people do stay because of the security of it, but I want to find other work." Michelle departed on 14 May 2003.
Read more about this topic: Michelle Scully
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