Quaden Bayles makes a sad admission years after he went viral after being bullied at school, even as his Hollywood career took off.
- Quaden Bayles was nine years old when a video about being bullied went viral
- The indigenous boy with dwarfism touched hearts around the world
- Three years later he is still bullied but much less and he loves school.
Quaden Bayles, the indigenous boy with dwarfism whose battle against bullying shocked the world, says he loves high school but still hates it.
In 2020, his mother, Yarraka Bayles, posted a distressing video of her son on Facebook, showing Quaden, who was born with a type of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to commit suicide after being molested in the school.
At the beginning of the five-minute clip, Ms Bayles is heard saying: “I just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, called the principal and I want people to know that this is the effect it has. the intimidation”. This is what bullying does.
‘So can you educate your children, your families, your friends because all it takes is one more instance… and you wonder why children are killing themselves?
“We try to be as strong as possible and only share the highlights… but this is how bullying affects a nine-year-old.”
Three years later, Quaden told Australian Story that he still experiences bullying, but it’s not that bad and he loves life as a high school student.
“I’m so happy now that I’m in high school like I’m not in elementary school, it’s finally over,” she said.
‘I’m not sitting on the rugs and grounds, I love high school now.
“But I still get hate here and there, but it’s not as bad as it was back then.”
Indigenous boy with dwarfism Quaden Bayles (right) says he is still bullied but he loves high school, three years after a video of him asking for a knife to kill himself went viral.
The 2020 viral video caught the attention of celebrities around the world who rallied behind Quaden and his family’s fight against bullying.
Hollywood superstar Jackman posted a video on Twitter saying, “Quaden you’re stronger than you think mate.” And no matter what, you have a friend in me.
The Wolverine actor urged his fans to “be nice to each other.”
Ms. Bayles shared the original video of Quaden in an attempt to raise awareness about the impact of bullying, but the worldwide attention led to the youngster landing movie roles.
Ms. Bayles shared the original video of Quaden in an attempt to raise awareness about the impact of bullying, but the worldwide attention led to the youngster landing movie roles.
The 11-year-old finished filming his role in the latest installment of the Mad Max film franchise.
She also appears alongside Chris Hemsworth in his upcoming film Furiosa, a prequel to his 2015 post-apocalyptic action hit Fury Road.
In March, Quaden told NITV that he has another major film project on his way, and is also working on his own original music.
“I am filming something small, something that is happening. I can’t say,” said the 11-year-old girl.
“Mad Max was my first role in a big movie. For me, I was like “wow”. I didn’t know I was going to be who I am today.
“I’ve been working on some music, doing some beats at school. I go to the studio and do some crazy raps with my friends.
“I want to start learning to rap, start freestyling.”
In March, Quaden (pictured at the Three Thousand Years of Longing premiere in 2022) revealed that he’s starring in another movie and is working on some rap music.
