Movies Mad Max director George Miller casts bullied Australian boy in prequel film Furiosa After going viral in 2020 for the bullying he faced at school, Quaden Bayles landed roles in the director's movie Three Thousand Years of Longing — as well as the upcoming Mad Max prequel. By Christian Holub Christian Holub Christian Holub is a writer covering comics and other geeky pop culture. He's still mad about 'Firefly' getting canceled. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 22, 2022 03:36PM EDT Sometimes mad geniuses have the biggest hearts. George Miller, acclaimed director of Mad Max: Fury Road and the upcoming Three Thousand Years of Longing, was affected by a 2020 viral video that showed a young Australian boy, Quaden Bayles, crying after being picked up from school by his mother. Bayles has a type of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, and was being harshly bullied at school. After the video of Bayles crying, which was taken by his mother as she called for a solution to bullying, went viral in Australian media, celebrities like Hugh Jackman rallied to his cause and offered support. Miller decided to help in his own way — by casting the boy in his new movie. 'Three Thousand Years of Longing' director George Miller cast bullied Australian boy Quaden Bayles in his new film. Mike Marsland/WireImage; Jono Searle/Getty Images Three Thousand Years of Longing is the story of a Djinn (Idris Elba) freed from his bottle by a lonely scholar (Tilda Swinton). While the scholar debates what she should wish for, the Djinn tells her stories from his ancient past. These stories-within-the-story range from the Queen of Sheba's royal entourage to the latter-day Ottoman Empire, and they are filled with colorful sets and extravagantly-dressed actors. Bayles is one of those costumed actors, and his performance impressed Miller enough for the director to cast him in his next project. "It was good for us and it was good for him," Miller told the Sydney Morning Herald in a new interview. "And he did such a good job that he's got a small role in Furiosa." Furiosa is Miller's next film, a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road that stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger incarnation of the title character. Three Thousand Years of Longing hits theaters on Aug. 26. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Mad Max director unleashes Idris Elba's Djinn in Three Thousand Years of Longing trailer Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa will be a 'saga' told over many years Mad Max prequel Furiosa promises 'great Biker Horde' and a young Immortan Joe