Quaden Bayles: boy with dwarfism who begged people to stop bullying him starring in film with Chris Hemsworth

A young boy with dwarfism who went viral on social media after he was filmed begging bullies to leave him alone has landed a role in a film alongside Chris Hemsworth.

Quaden Bayles, aged 12, will star alongside the Hollywood actor in Furiosa, the fifth film in the Mad Max franchise which will be released in the UK next year.

The young Australian boy, who has a condition known as achondroplasia, first came to public attention in early 2020 when his mum posted a video of him crying after being bullied at school due to his dwarfism.

He’s since gone on to gain fans around the world, and he even gained attention from including Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller, who gave him a role in his latest blockbuster film, Furiosa.

“Can’t wait to be on the big screen”

Quaden will star alongside fellow Australian actor Chris Hemsworth and actress Anya Taylor-Joy in the action film, which will be in cinemas in May 2024. Taking to his official Instagram account Keeping up with Quaden, which has 273K followers, Quanden tagged his co-stars and said “Can’t wait to watch on the big screen next year”.

Fans commented on his post to send him their best wishes. One person said: “Going to be an epic film my bro, you absolutely rocked your role!”

Another said: “Congrats Quaden. You are such a wonderful young man. Can’t wait to see this myself.”

One person said: “Congratulations dude! Proud of you man.”

Second time on the big screen

Appearing in Furiosa won’t be Quaden’s first appearance on the big screen. His acting debut came when he was an extra alongside other Hollywood actors Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton in another one of Miller’s most recent films, Three Thousand Years of Longing.

Quaden told NITV News  at the time “I love acting, I want to do heaps. I can’t believe I’m in Mad Max. I never knew what it was, my brother was the one who showed me what it was and it blew my eyes. I was like ‘’wow that’s crazy’’, and I love working with George Miller. It’s a really great job for me because of what I’ve been through.”

Miller also described Quaden as “very film savvy” and skilled.

He said: “Like everyone else, I saw the footage that his mother put up. I was incredibly moved by it. And I thought, ‘’If one good thing can happen out of bullying’’ . . . and we offered him a little part in the movie. He’s wonderful to work with.It was good for us and it was good for him.”

Quaden was born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism.

In 2020, harrowing footage was shared of Quaden, who was nine-years-old at the time, sobbing uncontrollably and asking for a knife to kill himself after being bullied at school. The video was filmed and shared by his mother, Yarraka, who told viewers that her son was being picked on for his condition.

She said: “I’ve just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal, and I want people to know — parents, educators, teachers — this is the effect that bullying has. So, can you please educate your children, your families, your friends, because all it take is for one more incident and you wonder why kids are killing themselves.”