Everyone has that one movie or show that feels like a warm blanket. For a massive chunk of the global population, that's the 1985 miniseries produced by Kevin Sullivan. It’s weird, honestly. You’d think a story about a talkative orphan in the late 1800s would feel dated by now. It doesn't. A huge part of that staying power comes down to the cast of Anne of Green Gables. They weren't just actors playing parts; they became the definitive versions of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s characters. If you close your eyes and think of Anne Shirley, you see Megan Follows. You don't see a generic redhead. You see her.
Finding that perfect cast was a nightmare for Sullivan. He looked at over 3,000 girls for the lead role. Can you imagine? 3,000. He almost didn't pick Megan. She was "too old" or maybe "too savvy," or so the legend goes. But then she auditioned again, and the chemistry with the rest of the players just clicked. It’s one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments in television history.
The Megan Follows Magic and the Weight of Anne Shirley
Megan Follows was 16 when she landed the role of Anne. She had this incredible ability to flip from manic, poetic joy to "the depths of despair" in roughly four seconds. That’s not easy to act without looking ridiculous. Anne is a character who could easily be annoying. She talks too much. She’s melodramatic. She’s stubborn. Yet, Follows made her deeply sympathetic.
It wasn’t just about the red hair or the freckles. It was the eyes.
When you look at the cast of Anne of Green Gables, Follows stands as the anchor. She stayed with the role through the 1987 sequel and the much more controversial 2000 "The Continuing Story." While the later installments took some... let's call them creative liberties with the source material, Follows remained the heart of it. She understood that Anne’s power wasn't just in her imagination, but in her fierce desire to belong. She portrayed a girl who was constantly told she was "not enough" and decided to be "too much" instead. It’s a performance that resonates with anyone who ever felt like an outsider.
Colleen Dewhurst as the Soul of Marilla Cuthbert
If Megan was the heart, Colleen Dewhurst was the soul. Marilla Cuthbert is a tough nut to crack. In the books, she’s described as tall and thin, with "angles and without curves." Dewhurst brought a physical presence to Marilla that was formidable. She was known as the "Queen of Off-Broadway," a serious dramatic actress who didn't usually do lighthearted family fare.
But man, her Marilla was perfect.
She played the transition from a cold, duty-bound woman to a fiercely loving mother figure with such subtlety. You see it in the tiny twitches of her mouth when she’s trying not to laugh at Anne’s nonsense. Honestly, the scene where she finally admits how much she loves Anne is enough to make a stone cry. Dewhurst’s passing in 1991 was a massive blow to the fans and the fellow cast members. She was Prince Edward Island for a lot of us.
Richard Farnsworth: The Quiet Power of Matthew
Then there’s Richard Farnsworth. Matthew Cuthbert.
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Matthew doesn't say much. He’s shy. He’s terrified of women. Farnsworth, a former stuntman who became an Oscar-nominated actor later in life, brought a gentleness to the cast of Anne of Green Gables that balanced out Marilla’s sharp edges. There is a specific kind of kindness that doesn't need words, and Farnsworth had it in spades.
Did you know he was actually a real-life cowboy? He spent years doing stunts in Westerns before anyone realized he could act circles around the leads. That rugged, quiet dignity he brought to Matthew was entirely authentic. When he tells Anne, "I never wanted a boy... I only wanted you," it’s the emotional climax of the entire series. It’s the moment Anne—and the audience—realizes that family isn't about blood or labor; it's about choice.
The Eternal Rivalry: Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe
We have to talk about Gilbert.
Jonathan Crombie was Gilbert Blythe. For a generation of viewers, Gilbert was the first "TV crush." He wasn't a "bad boy." He wasn't toxic. He was just a guy who messed up once by calling a girl "Carrots" and spent the next decade trying to make it up to her.
Crombie had this effortless charm. He didn't have to try hard. When he looks at Anne in the later scenes, you can practically feel the yearning through the screen. Tragically, Jonathan Crombie passed away in 2015 at the age of 48. The outpouring of grief from the fanbase was staggering. It felt like losing a piece of our collective childhood. He had moved on to a lot of stage work and even appeared on Broadway in "The Drowsy Chaperone," but to millions, he will always be the boy on the bridge waiting for Anne.
Schuyler Grant and the "Bosom Friend"
Diana Barry, played by Schuyler Grant, is often overlooked.
It’s hard to be the "normal" friend to a whirlwind like Anne Shirley. Diana is the steady one. She’s the one who gets "drunk" on raspberry cordial and accidentally stays loyal through every scrape. Grant, who is actually the grand-niece of Katherine Hepburn, brought a sweetness to Diana that never felt saccharine. The chemistry between Grant and Follows felt like a real friendship. You believed they would be "bosom friends" until the end of time.
Grant eventually moved away from acting and became a well-known yoga instructor. It’s a pivot that makes sense if you think about it—Diana Barry always did have a very grounded energy.
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The Supporting Players Who Built Avonlea
A cast is more than just the leads. The residents of Avonlea were what made the world feel lived-in.
- Patricia Hamilton as Rachel Lynde: The town gossip. Hamilton played Rachel with a perfect mix of judgment and genuine concern. She was the neighbor everyone has—the one who knows your business before you do, but will be the first one at your door with a casserole if things go south.
- Cedric Smith as Reverend Allan: A calming presence in Anne’s often chaotic spiritual life.
- Frank Converse as Morgan Harris: He appeared in the sequel and provided a different kind of foil for Anne, representing the world outside of Avonlea.
Each of these actors contributed to a sense of place. When you watch the 1985 series, you don't feel like you’re watching a set in Ontario (where much of it was actually filmed). You feel like you are on the red dirt roads of PEI.
Why Other Versions Struggle to Compete
Since 1985, we’ve had several other iterations. There was the 2016 TV movie version with Martin Sheen. Then there was the Netflix/CBC gritty reboot, Anne with an E.
Now, look. Anne with an E has a huge, dedicated fanbase. Amybeth McNulty was a fantastic, modern Anne. She brought a raw, traumatized edge to the character that was arguably more realistic given Anne's history in the orphanages. R.H. Thomson was a wonderful, spindly Matthew.
But for many, it lacked the "home" feeling of the Sullivan cast. The 1985 cast of Anne of Green Gables captured the spirit of the book in a way that felt like a dream realized. It wasn't trying to be "gritty" or "preachy." It just was. The actors seemed to understand the inherent whimsy of Montgomery’s writing while still keeping the stakes high.
The Complexity of Casting a Classic
Casting a beloved book is a trap. You’re always going to disappoint someone. If the actor doesn't look exactly like the mental image a reader has held for twenty years, the project is doomed before it starts.
Sullivan’s cast succeeded because they didn't just look the part—they understood the archetypes.
Marilla wasn't just "mean." She was repressed.
Matthew wasn't just "quiet." He was observant.
Gilbert wasn't just "the love interest." He was Anne’s intellectual equal.
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When you get actors who understand the why behind the what, you get a masterpiece.
What Happened to the Cast?
It's natural to wonder where they all went.
Megan Follows has had a massive career. She went on to star in Reign as Catherine de' Medici—a role that couldn't be further from Anne Shirley. Seeing Anne play a scheming, murderous queen was a trip for long-time fans, but it proved her range. She’s also moved into directing, helming episodes of shows like Murdoch Mysteries.
Many of the other supporting actors stayed staples of the Canadian acting scene. Canada has a very tight-knit community of performers. If you watch enough Canadian TV, you’ll see the faces from Avonlea popping up everywhere, from Road to Avonlea (the spin-off) to various Hallmark movies.
Real-World Impact of the 1985 Cast
The impact of this specific cast of Anne of Green Gables cannot be overstated. Tourism in Prince Edward Island exploded after the miniseries aired. People didn't just want to see the island; they wanted to see "Anne’s" island.
To this day, the Cavendish site attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Most of them have the 1985 version playing on a loop in their heads. The visual language of the show—the costumes, the hair, the way Gilbert leans against a tree—has become the "official" look of the franchise.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of the 1985 cast, there are a few things you should actually do rather than just re-watching the DVD for the hundredth time.
- Seek out the "Road to Avonlea" crossovers: Several cast members, including Colleen Dewhurst and Patricia Hamilton, reprised their roles in the spin-off series. It provides a much-needed "epilogue" to their characters that isn't found in the original miniseries.
- Read the memoirs: Look for interviews or snippets from Megan Follows regarding her time on set. She has often spoken about the "intensity" of the shoot and the lifelong bond she formed with the cast.
- Visit the Green Gables Heritage Place: If you ever go to PEI, don't just go for the beach. Go to the Cavendish site. Seeing the scale of the "haunted wood" puts the actors' performances into a physical perspective.
- Check out the 2020s reunions: Occasionally, the surviving cast members do virtual reunions for charity or anniversaries. These are gold mines for "behind the curtain" stories about Richard Farnsworth’s kindness or the technical difficulties of filming in the mud.
The cast of Anne of Green Gables did something rare. They took a turn-of-the-century novel and made it feel urgent. They taught us about "kindred spirits" and the idea that you can create your own family. Whether you're a first-time viewer or someone who can quote the entire "Lady of Shalott" scene by heart, the work of Follows, Dewhurst, Farnsworth, and Crombie remains the gold standard. They didn't just play characters; they invited us into a world where imagination was a superpower and mistakes could be mended with a bit of heart and a lot of talking.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
Start by watching the remastered Blu-ray versions if you haven't already; the colors of the PEI landscape and the subtle facial expressions of the actors are significantly clearer than the old VHS or early DVD transfers. From there, explore the "Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story" documentaries to see the behind-the-scenes footage of how these iconic performances were constructed on a shoe-string budget.