From victim to victor: How the heroic Quaden Bayles overcame bullies to star in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' prequel
Quaden Bayles is on his way to strengthening his Hollywood career with none other than the directorial genius George Miller. The indigenous boy with dwarfism, whose battle with bullying touched the world, has made headlines a couple of times in the last few years with celebrities coming forth in support of Bayles. The 11-year-old boy has been spotted with some known names like The Kid LAROI and is all ready for his Hollywood debut with another movie in his bank.
While it was previously known that director George Miller cast the now-famous boy in the upcoming film 'Three Thousand Years of Longing' alongside Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, it looks like Miller has another project for him. In an interview with Good Weekend, Miller revealed how he was moved to place Bayles in front of the camera after the clip shared by his mother, Yarraka Bayles, showing his battle with bullying went viral. Now, Bayles has up to 288,000 followers and can command up to $2,600 per sponsored post. Hugh Jackman is one of the many celebrities who came forth in support of Bayles. He has now bagged a role in the coming movie 'Furiosa'.
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From starring next to Elba and Swinton, Bayles will now be seen working next to Anya Taylor-Joy in the feature role in 'Furiosa'. The movie will also star Chris Hemsworth and Tim Burke. The role was previously played by Charlize Theron and Taylor-Joy will now take on the responsibility as the movie will focus on the background of Fury Road's fearsome heroine. Disregarding the claims of Bayles "acting" in the viral clip, Miller put his experience as a doctor claiming that the boy suffering from achondroplasia was indeed not acting.
Quaden Bayles long battle with bullying and dwarfism
Bayles is now in a comfortable position in his career but the long road of his struggle has not been easy. Miller was affected by the viral clip and was upset by a suggestion by News Corp columnist Miranda Devine that Bayle's mother might have coached him in what could be a scam. He said that as a director and the fact that he has been a doctor meant he could recognize acting, and Bayles was indeed not acting. He told the magazine, "I thought, ‘What the hell would she know about that? That really fired me up." He then reflect on Bayles performance and said, "It was good for us and it was good for him. And he did such a good job that he’s got a small role in Furiosa."
In the viral clip, Bayles was seen sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to kill himself after being bullied at school. His mother can be heard saying, "I just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal and I want people to know this is the effect bullying has. This is what bullying does. So can you please educate your children, your families, your friends because all it takes is one more instance... and you wonder why kids are killing themselves. We try to be as strong as positive as possible and only share the highlights... but this is how bullying affects a nine-year-old kid." The viral video caught the attention of literally everyone in Hollywood.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).