Rachel Ward’s Transition from Hollywood to Farming in Australia

Rachel Ward, known for her role in “The Thorn Birds,” shared insights about her decision to leave Hollywood and embrace farming life in Australia. Born into an aristocratic British family, Ward began her career as a model before moving to Los Angeles in the early 1980s to pursue acting.

During an episode of the ABC’s docuseries “Australian Story,” Ward explained her disenchantment with Hollywood’s entertainment scene. She found it to be a “vacuous place,” filled with superficiality and dissatisfaction.

“You soon find it’s a very vacuous place to inhabit … it’s very empty and it’s very unsatisfying,” Ward said. “I was just make-up, I was fantasy.”

Ward admired Oscar-winning British actress Julie Christie, who was known for roles focusing on romance rather than sexuality. However, she discovered that roles increasingly focused on physical appearance and sex appeal.

“You were really not of any value unless it was your sexuality,” she noted.

Ward gained fame with her portrayal of Meggie Cleary in “The Thorn Birds,” a role that earned her Emmy nominations and Golden Globe accolades. The series was a pivotal moment in her career, involving noteworthy actors like Richard Chamberlain, Barbara Stanwyck, and Christopher Plummer.

Ward met and fell in love with Australian actor Bryan Brown during the filming of “The Thorn Birds.” They married in 1983 and moved to Australia, settling in New South Wales’ Nambucca Valley, where they bought a large farm.

“I thought it was completely exotic and fabulous,” Ward said, expressing her initial impressions of Australia.

Ward’s priorities shifted after having children, choosing Australia over America as her more permanent home. Despite continuing work in international projects, her focus became Australian productions and filmmaking, debuting with “Beautiful Kate” in 2009.

The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020 deeply affected Ward, leading to concerns about climate change and a period of depression.

“I felt very impotent to do anything,” she shared. “It’s a major existential issue that we are dealing with.”

Her career had also slowed, contributing to feelings of purposelessness.

“Purpose gives everybody a sense of life, doesn’t it?” she pondered.

Ward was previously treated for depression, experiencing homesickness and difficulty adapting to life away from Britain.

Changes during the bushfire crisis led Ward to reconsider conventional farming. She and Brown shifted to regenerative farming practices.

“We have to change, we have to start doing things differently,” Ward realized.

Ward embraced the farming life, focusing on sustainable agriculture and soil restoration, highlighted in her documentary “Rachel’s Farm.” Bryan Brown praised her hands-on approach.

Despite some online criticism about her appearance, Ward found the reaction to her video post surprising yet dismissed negative comments.

“Women weren’t allowed to have a wrinkle, weren’t allowed to go gray,” she noted. “It’s great to put that behind you, how you should look and be.”

A shift in priorities became evident, as Ward focused more on farming than public appearance.

“All I want to hear is, ‘Actually, Rachel’s cows are looking pretty good,'” she said.