As Dementus put it, hate is “one of the greatest forces of nature.” But he did miss just how closely hope can be tied to it – and George Miller has displayed this in a pretty incredible way, casting a bullied teen in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. If you remember, Quaden Bayles appeared in a heartbreaking viral video back in 2020, expressing how hurt and despondent he was over being teased for his dwarfism. But now you can see him as War Pup (master of the Bommy Knocker) in Furiosa, showing that hope should always win out over hate.
Alongside Quaden Bayles, George Miller also cast Sean Millis, a singer with Hunter’s Syndrome, in Furiosa. Millis, like far too many, was also bullied online for his looks, with rather disgusting comments hurled at him over his appearance. Fortunately, people like Miller continued to stand up for him, with even Furiosa star Chris Hemsworth coming to his defense: “Let me ask you this, how many of those people who throw hurtful comments your way have you ever met in person? I bet not many!’Because most of them hide under a rock or a blocked account with all the other cowards who are afraid to ever be vulnerable and put themselves out there because they’re afraid of being rejected themselves so they attack the world before it attacks them. What a lonely existence that must be. Don’t even look at that rubbish mate, don’t even give them that satisfaction.”
But neither of these casting choices in Furiosa should have been a surprise, as George Miller has made something of a habit of standing up for those bullied online. Even before this, Miller cast Quentin Kenihan – an actor and advocate who was born with osteogenesis imperfecta – as Corpus Collosus in Mad Max: Fury Road. But lest you think Miller is just handing out roles like this, Kenihan once remembered, “The good thing about Fury Road was I auditioned three times for George. It wasn’t some meeting and I got the role, he made you work for it. And that was the same for the other disabled actors cast in the film as well.” Sadly, Kenihan passed away just a few years later.
So let’s hear it for George Miller, a champion for the bullied and those with disabilities. It’s always great to hear stories about the industry’s good guys.
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