Boy with Dwarfism Weeps over Kids Mocking Him at School, Becomes a Hollywood Star Years Later

When an 11-year-old boy with dwarfism was bullied at school, he came home and cried in front of his mother. Feeling heartbroken, she filmed a video of him and posted it on social media, not knowing it would lead to her son clinching his first Hollywood role.

Why do people bully others? This hurtful act stems from people noticing someone who doesn't look or act like them. Seeing a unique trait in a person makes some think they have the right to mock them. They don't realize how badly bullying affects people's mental health.

Being bullied crushes a person's self-esteem. While many victims get depressed and give up on life, some people, like the boy in today's story, turn their suffering into a blessing. With his mother's support, this boy remained strong and ended up walking on the red carpet of his first Hollywood film.

HAPPY BEGINNINGS

Yarraka Bayles felt lucky to be the first person in her family to attend university, but things took a different turn when she got pregnant with twin girls at 17. She had to dismiss her career plans and care for her babies instead.

However, it wasn't the same when she conceived her third child 11 years later. At that point, Yarraka was in a much better place financially and emotionally. She didn't have to give up anything to welcome her baby boy into this world.

When the then-29-year-old Yarraka gave birth to her boy, Quaden Bayles, her partner and daughters were delighted for the next three days. On the fourth day, the doctors revealed something that turned Yarraka's world upside down. She recalled:

"Everything came crashing down."

THE DENIAL

Little Quaden was diagnosed with dwarfism, which meant he would have restricted physical growth, but Yarraka refused to accept what the doctors said. Instead of celebrating her son's birth, she felt depressed, and it took her about two years to come out of it.

The following day, journalists were knocking on her door, and her phone was blowing up with calls and messages.

While Yarraka continued to remain in denial about her son's condition, it affected her relationship with her partner, and they broke up when the Murri boy was two-and-a-half. However, she didn't compromise on taking care of her son.

AN EXTRAORDINARY BOY

At a young age, Quaden underwent surgery to treat his compressed spine. As of now, he needs a machine to help him breathe whenever he falls asleep. Despite the unlimited challenges, Quaden lives his life to the fullest.

As a child, he enjoyed playing football and basketball and aspired to be an NBA player, but fate had other plans. In February 2020, Yarraka posted a heart-wrenching video of Quaden where he kept crying and said he wanted to kill himself.

Yarraka filmed the video when her son came back from school. He said other students called him a "midget," while the heartbroken mother revealed she had witnessed a "bullying episode." She wanted other people to see the effects of bullying. Yarraka said:

"So can you please educate your children, your families, your friends because all it takes is one more instance... and you wonder why kids are killing themselves."

THE LOVE AND ATTENTION

When Yarraka posted the video on her Facebook account, she didn't know it would go viral overnight. The following day, journalists were knocking on her door, and her phone was blowing up with calls and messages. She couldn't understand what had happened.

Upon checking her phone, Yarraka realized Quaden's video had melted people's hearts. People worldwide, including stars like Hugh Jackman and Jonathan Thurston, had shared the video and asked people to be kind to each other.

After watching his video, the Indigenous All-Stars rugby league team invited little Quaden on the field, where the crowd chanted his name. Because of his love for sports, this experience was like a dream come true for him. Quaden had started enjoying the love and attention he was receiving.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

While most people posted kind comments and sent prayers for Quaden, others weren't happy about his newfound fame. They couldn't tolerate that people had started donating money to Quaden. They posted videos and wrote comments saying Yarraka taught her son to cry. They claimed it was all an act.

Yarraka sought legal help and got some of the videos taken down. She also filed a defamation case against Miranda Devine of Newscorp because the columnist reposted some tweets claiming Yarraka and her son were scammers.

Over time, people showered Quaden with love and made him an Instagram celebrity. They loved watching his videos and couldn't resist double-tapping on his photos. At that point, the little guy had no idea George Miller, the man behind "Mad Max," was thinking about casting him in his next film.

HIS HOLLYWOOD DEBUT

"Like everyone else, I saw the footage that his mother Yarraka put up. I was incredibly moved by it," Miller said while talking about the video Yarraka posted in 2020. Soon, he contacted Quaden and offered him a role in his film, "Three Thousand Years of Longing."

Quaden walked the red carpet for his first Hollywood film on August 28, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. He said his experience working with Miller was fantastic and confessed he was initially scared. Meanwhile, Miller shared a few words about Quaden:

"I think he's going to have an interesting career. He's very skilled. He's very film savvy."

ANOTHER MOVIE ROLE

When it seemed like nothing better could happen to Quaden, Miller announced that he would cast the little boy in his new "Mad Max" movie, "Furiosa." While Miller said Quaden had earned the new role because of his hard work, the future star said:

"I can't believe I'm in Mad Max! My brother was the one that showed it [to me], it blew my mind."

For some people, it might seem difficult to believe that Quaden, who landed another Hollywood movie role, is the same little boy who couldn't stop weeping when his schoolmates bullied him. His life is an example of how fate surprises us with things beyond our imagination.

Share this story with your friends and family who might be feeling hopeless at the moment. Quaden's story might motivate them not to give up.

Click here to read another story about a boy without a jaw who became a famous rapper. He had never spoken a word his entire life but rose to fame because of his fantastic rap songs.