Native Boy Quaden Bayles Whose Bullying Video Went Viral To Star In Next Mad Max Movie Furiosa A

May 2024 · 6 minute read

Quaden Bayles, the native dwarf boy whose fight against bullying touched the world, is to appear in the latest installment of the Mad Max film series.

Director George Miller has cast the now 11-year-old in a small role in his upcoming film Furiosa, a prequel to his 2015 post-apocalyptic action hit Fury Road.

Quaden’s move to the big screen follows a successful foray into Instagram, where he has 288,000 followers and can command up to $2,600 per post. sponsored post.

Hugh Jackman is among Quaden’s many high-profile supporters, and he recently met with native rap star The Kid Laroi.

Quaden Bayles, the native dwarf boy whose fight against bullying touched the world, is to appear in the latest installment of the Mad Max film series. Director George Miller has cast the now 11-year-old in a small role in his upcoming film Furiosa

The Queensland boy appears as an extra in Miller's next film, Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Idris Ilba and Tilda Swinton. Quaden's new career move follows successful forays into Instagram and TikTok. He recently met native rapper The Kid Laroi

The Queensland boy appears as an extra in Miller’s next film, Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Idris Ilba and Tilda Swinton. Quaden’s new career move follows successful forays into Instagram and TikTok. He recently met native rapper The Kid Laroi

It was already known that the Queensland boy would appear as an extra in Miller’s next film Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Idris Ilba and Tilda Swinton.

But Miller has also cast Quaden in Furiosa – released in 2024 and starring Anya Taylor-Joy.

Furiosa, the fifth film in the Max Max series, which began with Mel Gibson playing the title character in 1979, will also star Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke.

It will tell the backstory of Fury Road’s fearsome heroine Furiosa, played in the previous film by Charlize Theron.

Miller revealed in an interview with Good Weekend how he was moved to put Quaden in front of the camera after his mother Yarraka Bayles posted a disturbing video of her son on Facebook in February 2020.

In the video, Quaden, who was born with a type of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, was shown sobbing uncontrollably and begging for a knife to kill himself after being bullied at school.

Miller was moved to put Quaden on camera after his mother Yarraka Bayles posted a disturbing video of her son on Facebook in February 2020. In the video, Quaden was shown sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to kill himself after being bullied. in school

Miller was moved to put Quaden on camera after his mother Yarraka Bayles posted a disturbing video of her son on Facebook in February 2020. In the video, Quaden was shown sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to kill himself after being bullied. in school

Furiosa, the fifth film in the Max Max franchise, starred Tom Hardy (above) in the role made famous by Mel Gibson. It will tell the backstory of Fury Road's fearsome heroine Furiosa, played in the previous film by Charlize Theron

Furiosa, the fifth film in the Max Max franchise, starred Tom Hardy (above) in the role made famous by Mel Gibson. It will tell the backstory of Fury Road’s fearsome heroine Furiosa, played in the previous film by Charlize Theron

At the start of the five-minute clip, Mrs Bayles said: ‘I’ve just picked up my son from school, witnessed a bullying incident, called the principal and I want people to know that this is the effect bullying has. That’s what bullying does.’

“Then please educate your children, your family, your friends because all it takes is one more case… and you wonder why children kill themselves.

‘We try to be as strong as positive 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 from around the world who supported Quaden and his family’s fight against bullying.

Hollywood superstar Jackman posted a video on Twitter saying: ‘Quad, you’re stronger than you know mate. And no matter what, you have a friend in me.’

The Wolverine actor went on to urge his fans to ‘be nice to each other.’

Quaden's video caught the attention of celebrities, including Hugh Jackman, who threw their support behind the boy,

Quaden’s video caught the attention of celebrities, including Hugh Jackman, who threw their support behind the boy, “You’re stronger than you know,” Jackman said on Twitter (above)

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 might have trained Quaden.

George Miller was moved to put Quaden in front of the camera after his mother Yarraka Bayles posted a disturbing video of her son on Facebook in February 2020

George Miller was moved to put Quaden in front of the camera after his mother Yarraka Bayles posted a disturbing video of her son on Facebook in February 2020

Devine, who repeatedly claims the video may be a hoax, later apologized and reached a settlement with the Bayles family ahead of the federal court case.

Miller, who trained and worked as a doctor before becoming an Oscar-winning filmmaker, acknowledged that Quaden had not acted.

“What the hell was she supposed to know about that?” he told Good Weekend about Devine’s comments. ‘It really turned me on.’

Miller had invited Quaden to appear in Three Thousand Years of Longing – described as a dark fantasy film – before Devine’s apology.

“It was good for us and it was good for him,” Miller told the magazine. “And he did such a good job that he has a small part in Furiosa.”

Ms Bayles shared the original video of Quaden in a bid to raise awareness of the impact of bullying.

She said at the time that while she would have preferred to keep such a harrowing moment private, she felt she had no choice but to go public.

In addition to sharing inspirational anti-bullying messages, Quaden's Instagram account is used to promote various brands. According to the Instagram Money Calculator, Quaden could earn up to $2,600 per post. sponsored post on the platform

In addition to sharing inspirational anti-bullying messages, Quaden’s Instagram account is used to promote various brands. According to the Instagram Money Calculator, Quaden could earn up to $2,600 per post. sponsored post on the platform

That same month, the video was released. The quad led the NRL’s Indigenous All-Stars team against the New Zealand Maori Kiwis at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.

He was photographed with Aboriginal rugby league stars Johnathan Thurston, Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker.

American comedian Brad Williams raised more than $700,000 for Quaden through a GoFundMe page to send mother and son to Disneyland, but the family gave the money to charity.

By the end of 2020, Quaden was Google’s top ‘trending kid’ in Australia, with more users searching for his name than anyone under the age of 18.

The quad has since found fame on Instagram and has a popular TikTok account.

In addition to sharing inspirational anti-bullying messages, Quaden’s Instagram account – which is managed by his family – is used to promote various brands.

According to the Instagram Money Calculator, Quaden could earn up to $2,600 per post. sponsored post on the platform.

Three Thousand Years of Longing had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May when it received a six-minute standing ovation from the audience.

It is set to be released in Australia on September 1st.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can get in touch Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit: el Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

The quad is pictured at an Invasion Day rally in Brisbane on January 26 last year

The quad is pictured at an Invasion Day rally in Brisbane on January 26 last year

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