Bryan Brown Hated English as a Kid — One Book Changed Everything
Literature meant nothing to the future actor while growing up in Sydney. Yet, a long flight would eventually awaken his love for storytelling.
Bryan Brown is much as you’d imagine: rugged, charming, and unfiltered. At 78, he remains instantly recognizable from his numerous roles across film and television, including classics from the “event TV era” like The Thorn Birds, the film Breaker Morant, and Hollywood hits such as Cocktail with Tom Cruise and Gorillas In The Mist with Sigourney Weaver.
Today, Brown is also a successful author — not just writing Hollywood reminiscences, but genuine crime fiction. His first collection, Sweet Jimmy, was published in 2021, followed by his debut novel The Drowning in 2023. This month, his third book, The Hidden, hits the shelves — quite an achievement for someone who once disliked reading.
“I hated English at school,” he says. “Because we got things like Great Expectations to read …”
He now admits Dickens’ classic is indeed a great novel, but adds,
“Not when you’re bloody 12 and 14 and 16, and you want to play sport...”
We met over lunch in Fitzroy. Though Brown lives in Sydney with his wife, actor and director Rachel Ward, he was in Melbourne for a podcast appearance — an ironic choice, as he admits,
“I’ve never listened to a podcast, ever.”
Author’s Summary
Bryan Brown, once a reluctant reader, transformed into a celebrated storyteller whose late-found passion for fiction mirrors his dynamic career both on screen and in print.
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