Boy bullied over dwarfism in school to star in 'Mad Max' prequel alongside Chris Hemsworth

A young boy who was a victim of vicious bullying at school has now landed a role in the "Mad Max" series with Hollywood actor, Chris Hemsworth. The 12-year-old boy, Quaden Bayles, has gained love and support from people around the world after his mother, Yarraka Bayles shared a distressing video of Quadon crying and asking for a knife to kill himself in his car after being bullied for his dwarfism by his peers at school. Less than three years after the video was posted, he is now thriving as a movie star and influencer even though he has not yet begun high school. After watching the video, Oscar-winning director George Miller showed support for Quaden and gave him a part in "Furiosa", the fifth installment in the "Mad Max" series, reports CNN. 

Quadon will be playing a small role in the movie “Furiosa,” a prequel to George Miller's 2015 post-apocalyptic blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road.” In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend magazine, Miller admitted that witnessing the upsetting video that Quadon's mother had posted of Bayles in February 2020 inspired him to make the movie. Miller was also disturbed by News Corp columnist Miranda Devine's assertion that Yarraka may have guided her son, Quaden in a potential scam. Miller said that since he was a director and a doctor, he would be able to tell when someone was acting, and this wasn't acting. “I thought, ‘What the hell would she know about that?’ ” he says. “That really fired me up.”

Devine had apologized for her vile remarks and in the meantime, Quaden was already invited to be in "Three Thousand Years Of Longing", a fantasy movie. “It was good for us and it was good for him,” Miller told the Sydney Morning Herald. “And he did such a good job that he’s got a small role in Furiosa.” Yarraka Bayles from Queensland, Australia, shared the video on Facebook Live to spread awareness of the effects of bullying. She said in the video that Quaden had previously tried to commit suicide. “This is what bullying does,” his mom said in the video. “Can you please educate your children, your families, your friends?” The very video struck a nerve in people from all across the globe, which had turned into a movement.

Quaden suffers from achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism. Upon the release of the video, he was met with an outpour of support from everyone including the "Wolverine" actor himself. Hugh Jackman, posted a video on Twitter telling Bayles: “No matter what, you’ve got a friend in me.” Jackman added,  “Quaden, you are stronger than you know, mate. Everyone, let’s just please be kind to each other. Bullying is not OK, period.” US comedian Brad Williams had set up a GoFundMe campaign and received close to $170,000 in donations which would send Quaden and his mom to Disneyland. “This isn’t just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren’t good enough,” Williams wrote on the fundraising page. “Let’s show Quaden and others that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it.”

According to 7News, The Indigenous All-Stars squad of the National Rugby League had equally shown some love and care for Quaden.  “Just want to wish you all the best brother. We know you’re going through a hard time right now but the boys are here, we’ve got your back. We’re here to support you, bud,” Indigenous All-Stars fullback Latrell Mitchell said on Twitter. Quaden had also led the team out before the NRL pre-season match against the Maori All-Stars in Queensland’s Gold Coast in 2020. Everyone is thrilled about Quaden's future in acting and we can't wait to see him starring in "Furiosa"!