Quaden Bayles’ hopes for the future after being a victim of bullying
Three years ago, Quaden Bayles went viral after his mother posted a devastating video of her young son coming home from school.
In the video posted to Facebook in 2020, Quaden, who was in primary school at the time, pleaded with his mother to let him end his life after being relentlessly bullied.
At the start of the five-minute clip, Ms Bayles is heard saying, “I just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal, and I want people to know this is the effect bullying has. This is what bullying does.”
Quaden’s heartbreaking moment touched the hearts of many around the world, including famous faces such as Hugh Jackman, who sent his well wishes to the young boy.
Now, three years on, Quaden is in high school and has shared how much his life has changed since the video went viral.
Speaking candidly with Australian Story, he said he is still the target of bullies, but he tries to not let it get to him.
He said, “I'm just so happy now that I'm in high school like I'm not in primary school. It's finally over.”
“I am not sitting on the carpets 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.”
Since the video went viral, Quaden has been offered many once in a lifetime opportunities through the people who have supported him, including being offered roles in several films.
He said, “I’ve got so many good opportunities when people heard me, that I started to love acting and fashion.”
“I’ve done my first movie, Three Thousand Years of Longing. The second one I’ve done is Mad Max Furiosa, and I’ve got another one I'm working on.”
Quaden’s foray into the world of film has given him a new sense of confidence, with the 13-year-old saying he wants to keep making movies.
“I want to keep going with my journey of acting. That’s what I want my future to be. I cannot wait to see myself on that big screen. I’m just gonna say ‘That’s me everyone!’”
Image credits: ABC