It’s no mystery to the cast of The Thorn Birds why the 1983 miniseries was — and remains — the second-highest-rated miniseries ever (after Roots). "The attraction of doing, or thinking of doing, something forbidden appealed to the audience," Piper Laurie, who played Anne Mueller, tells Closer. "It was powerful!" The 10-hour drama, based on Colleen McCullough’s best-selling novel, followed a half-century in the life of the Cleary family in Australia: sheep rancher and matriarch Mary (Barbara Stanwyck), her lust for conflicted priest Ralph De Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), and his forbidden love for Mary’s niece Meggie (Rachel Ward). With its family drama, scorching love scenes, and sprawling scale, The Thorn Birds "really was a watercooler show," Sydney Penny, who played young Meggie, tells Closer. "I didn’t appreciate how big it was at the time until I was watching the Emmys and I saw all these people I knew who were nominated.
- 9/8/2018
- by Editorial Staff
- Closer Weekly
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