Rachel Ward’s Daughter Defends Actress Against Ageist online Attacks
A wave of support has erupted for Australian actress rachel Ward after her daughter, Matilda, publicly defended her against a barrage of cruel comments regarding her appearance. The Golden globe-nominated star, known for iconic roles in The Thorn Birds and Against all Odds, now leads a quieter life on a regenerative farm in Macksville, New South Wales.
Ward,68,recently shared a video update on life at the farm via Instagram in July,a post that quickly became the target of over 2,000 comments,many of which harshly criticized her looks.
“Omg!! What the hell happened to her. Wow!! She has aged really really bad,” one commenter wrote. Another stated, “I read she’s 68. Looks way older! I’m 62 and can’t believe she’s only a few years older than me.” A third simply wrote, “she looks ravaged.”
Despite the negativity, many users also rushed to praise the England-born actress for ageing gracefully. Among those voices was Ward’s youngest daughter, Matilda.
Matilda, 39, an actress herself and a contributor to the farm’s operations, took to social media on Wednesday to directly address the online trolls.”My mum put this video up of herself and thes were some of the comments about her appearance,” she wrote. “If ageing naturally at 68 is so shocking than prepare to be SHOCKED.”
Matilda’s post featured heartwarming clips of her mother enjoying life on the farm, including moments cuddling her grandchildren, relaxing with a cocktail, and spending time with her husband of 41 years, actor Bryan Brown.
She also revealed her mother’s remarkably positive reaction to the criticism.”Thank you for the very kind comments and messages about my last reel. I’m unable to reply to all of them as there are thousands and thousands,” Matilda wrote in a subsequent Instagram story.”But I want you to know, my mum is entirely unscathed by the comments. She has incredible self worth and her response when reading through them was to laugh and say ‘how funny,I thought I looked great!’ As it should have been.”
Matilda’s powerful message resonated widely, garnering over 20,000 supportive comments.
Actor Alec Baldwin, who worked with ward on the 2006 film Running With Scissors, wrote, “Still an exquisite beauty…and a great movie star.” Actress Bridie Carter added, “Amen to REAL WOMEN. That’s me. What you see is what you get.I stand with Rachel. Nothing altered. Just me. Spreading the love.” A fan echoed the sentiment, stating, “She looks like a woman who feels at peace in her own authenticity. What a beautiful wonderful place to be and feel.May we all have this.” Another user commented, “Looks like a woman living her best life, with intention, caring about things that matter like the environment, surrounded by her kids and grandbabies. Life goals.”
Rachel and Bryan Brown also share two other children: Rosie, 42, and Joe, 34. The outpouring of support underscores a growing societal pushback against unrealistic beauty standards an
