British-Australian actress Rachel Ward has spoken candidly about ageing and online criticism, saying she no longer cares what people think about her appearance after trolls targeted her grey hair and natural look.
The 68-year-old star, addressed the backlash during this week’s episode of Australian Story, after social media users criticised her appearance saying she looked “old and decrepit” following a makeup-free Instagram video shared late last year.
Ward, best known for her role in The Thorn Birds, said the comments had unexpectedly sparked a broader conversation about ageing naturally.
“The more wretched I look, the more followers I have,” Ward joked.
“I was a catalyst for a larger conversation. I think people have been challenged [because] women weren’t allowed to have wrinkles, weren’t allowed to go grey.
“Why do we feel that we’ve got to pretend that we’re still 40 when we’re 68? … I’m so past caring about what people think about one’s appearance or age.”
Ward said some people had been shocked by her appearance because she had stepped away from the spotlight in recent years, choosing a quieter life on her family’s cattle farm in northern New South Wales.
“A few trolls were a bit shocked about my grey hair. They maybe haven’t seen me since I was 24, and they went, ‘Oh my god, that’s what you ended up looking like.'”
The actress also reflected on her experiences in Hollywood during the height of her fame in the 1980s, describing an industry heavily focused on youth and appearance.
“I went to Hollywood in 1982, and everything was about sexuality. It was all about the sex scenes. It was all about the male gaze,” she said.
“It’s very empty and very unsatisfying. It took me a long time to feel that I had value as a woman.”
The discussion follows criticism Ward received online after sharing a natural, makeup-free post in December.
“I read she’s 68. Looks way older! I’m 62 and can’t believe she’s only a few years older than me,” one commenter wrote.
Another said: “OMG what the h— happened to u? U were so pretty?”
Ward later responded to the criticism, saying she “felt sorry” for people who feared ageing.
“They will learn that it’s ultimate freedom as a woman to let youth and beauty go.”
Image: Instagram
