Quaden Bayles, the indigenous boy with dwarfism whose battle against bullying shocked the world, has been photographed attending the premiere of his latest Hollywood film.
The 13-year-old’s latest role is in the Hollywood blockbuster Furiosa, the fifth Mad Max film in the Australian film franchise, playing War Boy alongside Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Quaden reunited with fellow Mad Max: Furiosa actor Chris Hemsworth at the premiere of their film at Sydney’s State Theater on Thursday, May 2.
Quaden (left) on set as War Boy in the latest Mad Max film, Furiosa, with co-star Anya Taylor-Joy (right)
The film, which was released worldwide on March 23, is the second film directed by George Miller to feature the Brisbane teenager.
His first film, Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, was released in 2022.
Furiosa, the fifth film in the Max Max series, tells the backstory of Furiosa, the fearsome heroine of Fury Road, played in the previous film by Charlize Theron.
The premiere was held in Sydney on May 2 and Quaden was seen on the red carpet with the film’s main stars.
Furiosa director George Miller revealed how he was moved to put Quaden in front of the camera after his mother, Yarraka Bayles, posted a distressing video of her son on Facebook in February 2020.
In the video, Quaden, who was born with a type of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, is shown sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to kill himself after being bullied at school.
At the beginning of the five-minute video, Ms Bayles said: “I just picked my son up from school, I witnessed bullying, I called the principal and I want people to know that this is the effect bullying has harassment”. This is what bullying does.’
‘So, could you please educate your children, your families, your friends? Because all it takes is one more case… and they wonder why kids are committing suicide.
“We try to be as strong as possible and only share the highlights… but that’s how bullying affects a nine-year-old.”
The viral video caught the attention of celebrities around the world who supported Quaden and his family’s fight against bullying.
Hollywood superstar Jackman posted a video on Twitter saying, “Quaden, you’re stronger than you think, buddy.” And no matter what happens, you have a friend in me.
The 13-year-old (pictured) has been in high demand as he promotes his latest film.
Quaden first came to the world’s attention after his mother filmed and posted him upset and suicidal after being bullied at his elementary school.
The young actor walked the red carpet of the film directed by George Miller, rubbing shoulders with his famous co-stars, including Chris Hemsworth.
The Wolverine actor urged his fans to “be kind to each other.”
Miller was also affected by the video and, according to Good Weekend, was upset by a suggestion by News Corp columnist Miranda Devine that Ms Bayles may have coached Quaden.
Devine, who repeated claims that the video could be a scam, later apologized and reached a settlement with the Bayles family ahead of Federal Court action.
Miller, who trained and worked as a doctor before becoming an Oscar-winning filmmaker, acknowledged that Quaden had not acted.
‘What the hell would she know about that?’ she told Good Weekend about Devine’s comments. “That really turned me on.”
Bayles shared Quaden’s original video in an attempt to raise awareness about the impact of bullying.
She said at the time that while she would have preferred to keep such a heartbreaking moment private, she felt she had no choice but to make it public.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636