April 13, 2025 • 53 mins
Imagine this…
You’re five years old, and the world is at your feet.
You’re in the car with your eight-year-old bro, just picked up from childcare by your dad.
But your dad has a plan.
That plan involves two gas cylinders he’d strategically placed in the back seat earlier that day… and a cigarette. A horrific act of revenge. A father prepared to kill his two sons (and himself) to spite their mother. Not just to rob her of custody, but to take her children from her entirely.
Spencer Connelly doesn’t have to imagine this. It’s his life. A life he’s lucky to still be living. That man, his ‘father’ might be released from prison in the next 12 months. Because apparently, such a monstrous act only warranted a little over a decade behind bars.
Spencer is now 17. I just recorded a podcast with him after my dad met him at the grocery store and was enamoured by his spirited personality and kind demeanour.
Turns out, he now attends the same school I did back in the day.
After an hour of banter, I can tell you this much… Spencer is a testament to the BEST of humanity.
Strength.
Kindness.
Love.
Acceptance.
Peace.
People like Spencer lift us all up.
It’s moments like this that make me feel so bloody grateful to do what I do and be able to connect with such incredible humans. Oh, and he featured in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga so he’s kind of a big deal
SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
SPENCER CONNELLY
Website: instagram.com/spencerconnellytheofficial/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/
Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/
Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
She said, it's now never I got fighting in my blood.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I'm tiff. This is Role with the Punches and we're
turning life's hardest hits into wins. Nobody wants to go
to court, and don't. My friends at test Art Family
Lawyers know that they offer all forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Their team of Melbourne family lawyers have extensive experience in
(00:29):
all areas of family law to facto and same sex couples,
custody and children, family violence and intervention orders, property settlements
and financial agreements. Test Art is in your corner, so
reach out to Mark and the team at www dot
test Artfamilylawyers dot com dot au. Thank you so much
(00:52):
for tuning into this episode. I just wanted to drop
in here before you hear the conversation and let you
know that this is a really special one to me.
It is episode nine hundred of Roll with the Punches,
and that means that I've had eight hundred and ninety
nine previous conversations around the topic of what it means
(01:15):
to roll with the punches, what it means to get
up and rise because of what happened to you, rather
than stay down and let it hold us down and
it is such a fascinating concept to me about how
some people do that and what we can learn from them.
(01:36):
And that was really the crux of this entire show,
This conversation with Spencer I had a little less than
a week ago, and I have not stopped thinking about
it and him in a really positive manner. So it's
probably a wise time to let you know if you
haven't read the summary. Spencer's story is an incredibly confers
(02:00):
hunting one.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It is.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
It is a story that I wish that no one
in this world ever had to call their own, but
stories like this are out there, and this particular one
for me teaches us that we don't have to be
broken and defined by the awful things that happened to us.
Spencer Connelly has more right than anyone to harbor anger, resentment,
(02:26):
and bitterness, but somehow he's chosen the opposite. He's chosen kindness, love,
strength and acceptance, and he's chosen to succeed anyway, not
because of what happened to him, but in spite of it.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Nice sort of burns to my biological father. In a
revenge attack, he tried to murder me and the person
who tried to murder me. Is this being except free? They said,
I hope you don't as fire like Spencer should have.
You know, I'm just one of the happiest guys you
(03:07):
can probably ever meet. I'm going to live life how
I am now and I'm happy now. Why change that?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
She said, it's now and never? I got fighting in
my blood.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Spencer Connolly, welcome to roll with the punches.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Thank you. I'm happy to be here, buddy.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Hell I've been waiting for this conversation. I can tell
you that much. And I'm not the only ones you
know who else is waiting for this conversation. My dad,
he called me. We have had a week or two ago,
beyond excited that he had a wonderful guest for me
to talk to and lots of good things to say.
(03:50):
But you know my favorite part. He just went on
and on about what a lovely bloke you were. He said,
He's got to be the loveliest young man I've spoken to.
He's such a nice young man.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
I believe that being nice in the world is all
you can really do. I mean, you know, I'm just
one of the happiest guys you can probably ever meet,
and that's just you know, how I keep happy being
nice to people and being kind.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
What do you do with yourself? You're seventeen years old.
Tell us a bit about what you do with yourself.
Who is Spencer Connolly?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yes, I'm just a normal seventeen year old kid. I
live in Tasmania Northwest, go to school every day. I'm
in year twelve, so I do drama and all that.
I'm really I'm really into drama. I work at a
grocery store. That's where I met your dad.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I was working up on the counter. I usually work
on the shelves. Usually I'm pulling everything forward and make
sure everything's tidy. But I was very lucky enough to
the buzzes were called. Someone up to the front was
helping your dad scanning, scanning the items, and you know,
I was just chatting with him. I like chatting with
(05:06):
anybody that are that will talk to me. I think
that you know, you want to when you're shopping. You
want to be able to have a good conversation with someone.
It's not fun if you're kind of just sitting there.
And I mean, I'm happy enough to help someone with
the items if they're just standing there and they're waiting
to leave. But I mean as soon as your dad
started talking to me, I was like, this is this
(05:28):
is one good this is one good guy. I knew
that straight away.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He loves a bloody chat, doesn't he.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
It was really nice, he really is.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
That's awesome you've got. Well, look, you've got a huge
past and what seems like is going to be a
really huge future. I don't even know where to start
the conversation, mate, I don't even know where to start.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah, when you when you're dad was talking to me,
But believe I mean just from looking at me, you
can see that I've got an interesting past. But when
I'm in that kind of environment, I'm not I guess
talking about you know what I've done unless someone asks.
So I think what what you found from your dad
talking to me was a pot of gold. I mean,
(06:10):
he can really hit the jackpot. I just had to
talking to him, and I guess you got to know
a little bit about me, and that's what led to
him asking if I wanted to go on your podcast.
I was like, yeah, this is it. I mean, one
hundred percent, this is what I like to do, so
I'd love to do. This is what keeps me happy,
inspiring others with you know, my story. So I went
out the back, got a piece of paper, wrote down
(06:32):
my email and phone number, And to be honest, I
really didn't think it was going to go anywhere I've
I've you know, been you know, things have happened where
people have said they're going to do something and obviously
doesn't happen. So I thought, I'll just give him my number,
I'll just give my email. We'll see what happens. If
I get a callback or you know, an email, you know,
that'd be great. But if it doesn't happen, then at
(06:53):
least you know I've spoken to a really kind person.
So that I think it was the next day or
two days, I've got an email. It wasn't a messager,
messenger a message. I was like, well, you know, this
is obviously meant to happen. So I was like, yeah,
I'm going to do this one hundred and obviously I'd
(07:14):
done one of my first podcasts only a few weeks
ago and I really enjoyed it. So I'm like, I'm
I'm gonna do this. Yea, I'm gonna speak on another one.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
There was so much that captured me about when Dad
was speaking of you, and obviously, like you just alluded to,
when people see you, they can tell you've got an
interesting story. And when Dad was telling me and you,
I'll let you tell my listeners the background to that,
But when Dad was telling me, I remember thinking to myself,
(07:47):
he's a guy who when someone meets you, there's an
elephant in the room and people are curious but not
sure whether they should ask. And then I was thinking
about the end so that you then are giving them
every single time, And I was like.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
What a.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
What a story to live with, what a story to
grow through? What and understanding? How outgoing? And obviously you've
got this incredible personality, and I was like, I can't
wait to hear how this is all unfolded and how
you've developed that, and bloody hell, what we can learn
about getting through hard stuff because you have obviously got
some lessons the way you can share with us.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Yeah, yeah, I definitely are. I'm pretty crazy past and
I'm really hoping a really good future and then I've
definitely been helped a lot throughout the way, so hopefully
I can see what I want to in life. But yeah, summer,
I'm a burn fever. So I suffered burns at the
age of five years old. I don't know, if you've
(08:51):
done a little research it, it'll probably not a little bit. Yeah.
So I stuffed burns to my biological father in a
revenge attack. So you took it out on myself my
brother and lit the family car rocks so on fire.
There were gas cylinders in the back of the car,
so they blew up. My brother and I were really
lucky to be alive. Me being at the age of
(09:13):
five years old, I always wanted myself, how do I survive?
Because a five year old's mind, what are you going
to really think? You're not really gonna you only have
the mind to go. I'm going to do this to
save myself. So I look back at what I do
remember from that day and I wonder how I survived,
and I think maybe it was just a miracle. And
then I was just I wasn't supposed to My life
(09:35):
wasn't meant to end on that day, So that's what
saved me.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Always think about I think Tazzy is a beautiful little place,
and you know, I moved from Tazzy to Melbourne a
long time ago, and now when I go home. There's
a lot that stands out to me, and that community
and connection that I remember the first time I went
back to Tazzy and I would go for a run
through Don River Railway around the tracks and I'd have
(09:59):
my head for and I realized very quickly that whether
or not you have headphones on over your ears and
you're looking at the ground, when you pass somebody in Tazzy,
they're going to speak to you.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
And I had became deconditioned to that sort of interaction
here living in the city in Melbourne, where you can
you run into people and you're lucky if they turn
around and apologize for bumping you. So I think that
it could be a real testament to the people who
gathered around you and the people who developed you as
(10:33):
you were growing up as a young boy. And obviously
your beautiful mum and your family and your brother. Are
you comfortable talking a bit about that event? And yes,
like what do you remember?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
That's funny to say, because in the last prodcast I
I spoke on how it's obviously how stubber burns to fire.
I don't remember any fire at all, So it's all
because the brain's really smart in the way they can
block out like certain parts of your trauma. So I
don't remember any fire at all. I remember, for example,
some parts of you know, when I would have been
(11:07):
on fire, but I don't have any remember it's a fire,
hardly any I don't really remember the car at all.
I remember small parts of it, but so happened in
my backyard of where I was living at the time,
And yeah, I not. I don't really remember much from
that day. It's kind of I remember certain parts and
(11:29):
then it just blacks out. But yeah. One of the
one of the things I think is most interesting is
that I don't remember anything to do with fire. Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Do you remember the feeling or did was it? I mean,
it would have been quite intense. Did you Can you
recall the pain of it?
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Yeah? Again, not not really any pain. I don't remember
any pain. One of the things that I do remember.
And I'm basically just like trying to remember from I
always wondered to myself, I was five years old at
the time. Was I or am I making up memories?
For example? Maybe they're not true, maybe maybe I think
(12:06):
they're true, But I do believe that these are true.
And what I'm saying, is that. One of the memories
I remember is looking up. This is when we're on
the ground. I looked up and my brother's face looked different,
obviously because fire changed the way he looked. That's one
thing that I remember is they're looking up and my
(12:27):
brother and Sandy looked different. But when it comes to pain,
I've got nothing at all. I remember is everything that
I remember happening, But there's no pain. It's kind of
just it's kind of just an experience.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Brother younger or older than you.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
He's older than me. He's twenty one, so he was
eight when it happened. I was five. I turn eighteen
this year, so I'm seventeen right now and he's twenty one.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yeah. I guess there's silver lining is having a brother
that and you went through that together, so you had
each other and you didn't have to be a lot.
I feel like it'd be pretty isolating event. You don't
have to be alone in that because you've got someone
who's in the same boat.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Yeah, as much as you can be a man being
in hospital. My brother to get just discharged before me,
so he left the hospital before me. So we spent
Christmas in the hospital. We spent his birthday, we spent Easter,
and I would definitely say that for I think I
(13:28):
was in hospital for about five almost half a year,
so it was my new home and my brother's new
home for most of our year and twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yeah, and as you like, you're a young, tiny child
at five, you got a lot of growing to do.
The burns affect your growth, Like, how did you need
to get further treatment as you were growing?
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah? So really so I suffered full thickness burons to
my neck and my shoulders and that really affected me
for a while to get constantine ay to release these
parts of my neck here because I can't turn my
head as far as everybody. So really not really my growth,
but definitely my flexibility was an issue.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
And what were kids at school? Like, what was life
like as a young kid going, you know, surviving that
coming out of hospital and getting back into kin't or
trying to get back into life.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah, I saw mid schools. So I had to start
a new life. Basically I had to move. I moved
from one place to another and obviously started the new school.
I remember a little bit of studying in new school.
It's definitely harder than you know, a normal kid moving
to a different school, because it's already hard for someone
(14:44):
else studying a new school with someone who looks different
to everybody else studying a new school. Definitely, I don't
remember how much, but it would have been a challenge. Definitely.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Were kids kind? Were they cruel? How did you find that?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I've never truly been called stuff to my face at all,
but I can I terpretnt tell you that people have
said stuff behind that as ye undred percent?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
How do you deal with that? How do you cope
with that?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah? So I thinthing it actually happened a few weeks ago.
I spoke about another podcast I did where they said
a certain person at school said that they are that
they were talking to someone else and they said, I
hope you don't as fire like Spencer should have. Yeah,
And I heard that because I didn't hear it technically
from I heard of my friend. They said what they
(15:31):
had said, what the other person said, and it didn't
really affect me at all. I've got a really good
mental health. But I was sitting in class by the
next class that I was in, and that's when it
kind of started to hit me. I'm like I can't
just sit here and you know, let them get away
with saying that. So I personally myself went to a
(15:55):
person who could help me, spoke about it to them,
and they are they dealt with it as much as
they could, but it doesn't really affect me. But you know,
just knowing the fact they've said that, I definitely to
do something about it because I don't want to see,
you know, what happened to someone else. I'm really I'm
really grateful that it happened to me not someone else,
and that I could take the hit. And you know,
(16:17):
someone who you know, maybe happens to them it said
about them and they don't have a good mental health
that could really affect them. So definitely be able to
watch what they say and you know, just accept for
people and who they are and how they look.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
All right, where'd you get this level of being grounded
and this mindset? Did you do therapy? Did you what
was how did you nurture that? Yes?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
So my brother and I we had therapy growing up,
my brother a little bit more than me. But I
guess I've grown up like this. I know, I don't
know anything different, So I just live day to day
like anybody else, and I just prefer being treated like
any other person who looks normal.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
What's the hardest thing about it for you?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
I think you know that there I guess there are
times where you know, I would be in a group
of people and I just think to myself, you know,
I do look different at times. I do think, you know,
maybe I do look different and I not not. I
don't like you feel horrible, but I do go what
(17:30):
do people think? I mean, like they always say, doesn't matter.
People think, but some mentality you're going to you know,
obviously think that another thing would be definitely talking to girls.
I struggle with that a lot because I always wonder.
I always think to myself, if I wasn't a hundred,
if I was in a room with a hundred men
(17:50):
like myself, there's ninety nine people who don't have scars,
and there's one person with the scars. I always think,
you know, they're going to choose someone without the scars
because that's the normal compared to someone with scars. It
doesn't mean that I don't talk to girls, it's just
that's definitely my biggest challenge.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I feel lot we all have that challenge.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's hard with everybody, but I think
it's definitely and I think everybody with scars like myself,
maybe their burns, maybe it's something different. Definitely. I own
the head sometimes about you know, what is this person?
I think? You know? Should I even try?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Is it something that has driven you to be something
to push for your dreams?
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Yeah? I are some of the foundation they called the
Kids Foundation, some around a lots of other people that
I like myself. I've first started off when I joined
back in twenty thirteen, So I have it burns in
twenty twelve December, but I joined them in twenty thirteen.
I'm around people like myself or something burns. I can
(19:02):
see you know that they're they're happy and they're achieving dreams.
That then you know, lets me know that I can
do the exact same. So definitely, then you know, being
around those people definitely helps me out a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah. A big advocate myself of the having the philosophy
that the hard stuff is the best stuff. Like I
remember a point of time, I mean I'm forty now,
but it was only in recent years where the penny
dropped and I went everything in my life that I
cared deeply about is a direct result of the really
(19:40):
hard shit that I went through. And so you know,
sometimes I would notice myself. I think it's human nature.
We're waiting to get over some hurdle, to not feel
a certain way, or to not be scared, or to
not be nervous, or to put something to bed. But yeah,
making that realization, I was like, that's like, I wouldn't
(20:01):
love all the things I love. I wouldn't love speaking.
I wouldn't love podcasting and talking to people like you
if I hadn't been through I keep on going to
make these analogies, and I'm like, you can't say that
that's like a punt been through the fire. I'm going
to say, been through the fire myself metaphorically to really
appreciate what's on the other side of that. And I
think that, you know, like, what are the things for
(20:24):
you that stand out where you go? I know that
I can appreciate this more or I'm driven further because
of this.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, I always say that I wouldn't change a thing.
These burns that I suffered are and these scars have
only led me to amazing experiences, whether it be speaking
in front of a bunch of people inspiring, like inspiring
being with my story. I acted in my first movie
back in twenty twenty two, which is Australia's biggest movie franchise,
(20:56):
Mad NAC's Furiosa. And yeah, just you know not, they
wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't go back in time
and remove that bad experiences because it's only given me
good things in life.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Yeah till me about mad Max.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah. So I was fourteen at the time. I was
with the foundation that with on a Burns camp and
we saw an article on Facebook then needed extras that
were burns others. So I'm like, this is really cool.
I'm fourteen, you know, I imagine imagine telling my friends,
telling my family being able to be in a move
like this at fourteen. So we called up and sadly
(21:33):
they are they were all full. So I was too late.
So when we went through our day, weeks months went by,
and then the CEO of the foundation was staying at
a health retreat with another person in a room, and
the CEO had written a book and my story was
in the book along with my brothers, and she happened
(21:55):
to read that book and the next day a man
comes and taps the see of the kids the nation
on the shoulder and says, I need to speak with you.
This is this is an amazing man. His name is
Robin Mackenzie. He owns mac is Angus Beef. So they
really are really successful blake and definitely a really good guy.
(22:18):
And he says, I need to talk to you. My
land is being used for mad Max Furiosa. I want
to give my extra roll up for this kid of yours.
We said no. We said no because respectfully, that's his role.
We wouldn't want to take that away. That's something special
for him. So the CEO said, give the cast and
(22:41):
directors contact to us and you know we'll chat to them.
So we called up. I was only meant to get
a tour of the set, which then changed into an
extra role. But then the director thought my audition was
too good that I needed to speaking rather, so I'm
part of the cast.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I would like to get that have that progression.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Yeah. I think that that was another miracle. They just
led into one another. I got to work with some
amazing people. Annie Taylor joys rising at this point, she's
doing well for herself. Chris Smsworth, who is Australia's Biggies
actor got to Yeah, I got to meet him.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
That's really cool.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
And I think the other cast was this like we
say we say my cast, so our cast, So if
someone's speaking to someone that's say my cast is, we're
all like family. So when I say I say that
my cast was just amazing because I got to, you know,
work with some amazing people like myself, who are you know,
(23:45):
potentially even getting into their first movie like myself. One person,
have you ever heard of Sean mills On. He's on
TikTok He went viral last year. I've got to work
with him and we're like best friends. Now we are
Promario this year. Actually he was in the voice Yeah.
You might have to get Hione here. He's pretty inspiring himself.
(24:06):
We're both pretty inspiring with her. We both got our
own stories. So I got to work with him and
some other amazing people, obviously Mark Wales, who you know, Yes, yep,
he worked he worked on There. I met him on there.
Fun fact, I was going into rehearsals. This was the
first time I was doing rehearsals and I met Mark
and I didn't know what any of the I knew
that Chris Hemsworth's family was being involved. I don't know
(24:29):
who though, So originally, when Mark walked in, I've never
told him this at all. I actually thought he was
a Hemsworth brother because and I've been told that you
wouldn't want to I wouldn't want to say to his face
because I think he was too good. Mark things. Because
it's just I seriously thought he was a Hemsworth brother.
I was like, I'm sitting in the room with Liam Emsworth.
(24:51):
This is great. And then I heard Mark blows and
I was like, oh, all right, well that's fine, but
I wouldn't change I mean, Marks definitely are one of
my favorite people in life. Is that an inspirational guy,
has written multiple books. He was on Survivor. Yeah, yeah,
and yeah, just being able to work with him was fabulous.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
What a weapon. What makes a good actor?
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I think it doesn't matter if you've been in
one movie or thirty. I experienced myself with working with
people who it was their first movie. It doesn't matter
whether you're good or not. It matters, you know, what
your perspective is. So being happy having a good like
having a good you know atmosphere you know, being yourself. Yeah,
(25:42):
it does not matter how much experience you pattern. I
mean I worked on Furious with people. It was their
first movie and they went in the same age as me.
I was one of the younger cast members. I was
working with people who were between twenty two, like probably
almost forty, And it's just having a good humor and
(26:03):
having a good work mentality and obviously with anyone would
want to do acting, it's really fun. It's not like
their colleagues. It's like that their brands. They're all friends.
And that's that's how it was. Where we were sitting
backstage laughing with each other. It's not like you're having
a work break. It's like you're having you're having lunching,
(26:25):
just chatting with you with your friends.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Yeah. For someone that doesn't that's not in that world,
like me and most of the people listening to this,
what I'm trying to think of what our perception of
actors would be, because you talk about that and I'm like, oh,
I feel like if I was going in for an
acting role, it's very me centric. It's very putting on
a you know, I'm putting on a show and it's
(26:49):
all about me and it's how I do this, and
and the way you talk about it is so it's
it's so the opposite of how you relate to people.
It's how easy you are to work with, It's how
much you bring good energy.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Yeah, I'd always go on a set every day. You'd
get that like fairly in your body because you'd have
to wake up between I was very lucky because I
was bought in at the time, so i'd have the
same rules as everybody, the same laws. So I had
to wake up later, but most cast members would have
to wake up between one thirty and three thirty, yeah,
(27:22):
to be on set by to be on set by
like six so yeah. So me myself, I had to
wake up with like four thirty five ish to be
on set by seven seven thirty. But when I was
going on to set, it's like it's just a thrill ride.
I mean, going on there, You've got all the extras
(27:46):
behind you and the amazing set and all the crew members.
It's it doesn't feel like work if it was like
and I think that's what when you listen to people
like Chris Hamsworth when they're explaining their you know their job,
and that's why people like Dwayne rob Johnson's his net
(28:08):
worth is around eight hundred million, and he could easily
retire and live fifty lives, probably even more one hundred
lives in paradise with probably fifty million mansions for we know.
But he keeps on acting because that's it. It's an
enjoyable job, and it's not seen as a job. It's
(28:29):
seen as it's just a fun experience. And obviously when
you watch a movie, you always wonder what was it
like filming, you know, with the behind the scenes, like
for example Tom Cruise when he does all these stunts
that would be really fun, and these actors who could
do experiences, and obviously I've experienced it once in my
life and it's just an amazing experience. So it's it's
(28:52):
not like work. It's like it's just a fun experience.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah, was it what you expected?
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I didn't really know what I was going for at all.
I think once I actually was on the way flying
to Sydney's I filmed it in Sydney, I kind of
understood what I was getting myself into. I had to
shave my head from the film. Yeah, so I shaved
my head back in twenty twenties, I shaved it four
or five times, didn't wash my hair all for that time,
(29:20):
so I didn't have any hair. It was fully shaved.
It was fully it was fully shaved off. All that
was shaved off.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
How long was the was the filming process?
Speaker 3 (29:30):
Yes, so that they filmed all the furious between. I
think it was maybe March to October. I filmed four
times between August and September, but I like to say
it was about three months because I found out about it.
(29:52):
I was in it in late July, so but yes,
I filmed for about about two months.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
What an incredible experience did you think? I mean, you're
already into drama. Were you planning to carve this path seriously?
Or was this an opportunity that kind of went solidified?
You know what, I can go in this direction.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Yes, I've always wanted a bit performer, whether it be
my childhood dream was a comedian, which then just changed
into wanted to perform. I like screen. So if someone
says to me what I like with acting, I'm not
a big fan of theater. I like screen because you
(30:39):
don't have to do everything in one go. You can
have to that point where you can do multiple takes.
And I think it's more fun because the setter, for example,
three D compared to two D with productions the theater,
and it's just, in my opinion, a lot more fun.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
What's the next for you? What are you working on?
You've got some big stuff in the pipeline, I believe.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Yeah. So I've got a thing coming out. A friend
of Marx I want. I'm meant to do a project
for his Instagram. I'll plug it. It's called The Story
with Scars, So it's kind of like a story profile
on anyone with non physical or physical scars. He just
(31:27):
like he sits down, tells the story does like a
little photo shoot. When I a little it was longer
to like two hours, but really really fun. I really
enjoyed it. So that's going to come out hopefully later
this month. I messaged the other day his name is
Jared saying really really, really good guy. My messaged in
the other day. It was like, mate, man's this thing
(31:47):
coming out? And he goes, you want to sit tight, mae,
I got a few more stories coming out. I'm like,
I'm seventeen, mate, you're just telling I can't just sit
back and just enjoy myself. And then so hopefully later
this month. I'm really excited to see it. And then
I'm doing I'm an ambassador for an event in May
for the Kids Foundation, so the organization that I'm with,
(32:11):
so I'm an ambassador for that. They're riding horses. It's
called toad Horse and we're riding. We're not me. I'm
not riding. I might ride a little bit if they
want me to. I did last year. I went it
last year. It's the second year that we're doing it.
They ride horses two hundred kilometers horseback, so on a saddle.
(32:33):
In last last year we did it in summer. We're
not stupid. This year we're going to do it in awesome. Yeah.
So we're hopefully we're going to try and raise one
million dollars.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Wow, got some really good people on board. We've got
a model who was born in Australia but she now
lives in New York, Georgia Burke And you've heard of her, No, no, Yeah,
she's I was in the newspaper the other day. I
didn't know I was, and it was she was inspired
by my story. So she's got about one hundred and
(33:08):
sixty nine thousand on Instagram. So we've got some amazing
people on board for this event, and I'm really excited
for it because it's it's an inspirational event. We've obviously
we've got some amazing people on board for it. And
I remember from last year it was really fun. I
did write, I did write a little bit. I'm not
a big fan of what's writing, but anything to support
(33:34):
the cause and make it look make you know, tht
it was a little bit more fun.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Must be really rewarding to be involved in helping especially kids,
kids that have been through things like you what what
do you get out of it? Or what what do
they need?
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Yeah, the kids fnation has been like a second family
to me. For I guess it is thirteen twelve years
this year twelve years. And I definitely went into it
with low confidence, very shy. My brother went in even
more shy, and my confidence whenever we're more really young,
(34:16):
whenever my parents would leave us there, my brother would
cry because you know, we weren't used to being by ourselves.
We've definitely come out the other side way stronger. I mean,
I do conferences where I speak in front of whether
it be ten people or three hundred or four hundred.
(34:37):
I was lucky enough last year to speak my story
in front of three hundred and fifty people. They're all
executive officers, so they're all rich people in suits. But
now that was really fun. I guess the Foundation, the
Kids Foundation, They've got a lot for me throughout the years.
They're definitely My confidence has grown so much in these
(35:01):
past twelve years, and I know that they can definitely
see it, and that they're definitely proud of me for
it and my brother, and that we've grown into two
amazing young men.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
I'm going to introduce you to someone one of my
mates that comes down and runs Evince sometimes in Tazzy
for boys, and you'd be great. You'd be great for that.
So yeah, yeah, for sure. How How was how is mom?
How was mum? How did she cope through all of this?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Jola says that as people might think of that, as
you know that something like this happens, you know, we
can't I can't do it. You know it's too hard,
But you've got no choice. You're in that situation. You've
got to live life. You've got no choice, So live
it as strong as you can be. You know, it's
be as strong as you can be and that's all
(35:57):
she was. She was just the biggest support ever.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Yeah, how do you and her and maybe your brother?
I mean, how do you all deal with? Is there
any resentment or anger or bitterness?
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Yes, so my biliging father A potentially may get released this.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Year's feeling it must be soon? How does that feel?
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Ah? I mean, obviously that's what the court decided to
decided was they thought it was originally meant to get
I think it was just over twenty years, but they
thought it was too harsh.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
So don't even get me started. I read I read that.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I was so angry, Yeah that they obviously, I think
it's released this year. That's the way life goes. But
I'm not scared at all. I'm just going to live
life how I am now. I mean, I'm happy now?
Why change that?
Speaker 2 (36:57):
So mad? I feel so mad about that?
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Yeah, yep, I guess obviously you're feeling that. Imagine like
may have put in a position where he tried to
murder me, and the person who tried to murder me,
is this being set free? It's kind of it kind
of for a while, and my mind just didn't seem real,
and I've kind of come to reality now you know
(37:20):
this is happening, by how am I going to deal
with it? And it's just in a way of I'm
just going to deal with it with positivity. With positivity,
I'm not going to change how how I live, how
I feel. I'm just going to be the same inspiring
at the kid.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Yeah, good on you was he was? He a turbulent
father to grow up with prior to that event.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
Definitely, I don't really remember much. I'm really lucky enough
to my mind he's been blocked out. I have no
real memory of him at all, but I have heard
stories that he, you know, was this obviously was what
do you call it? Definitely violence, domestic viotments, domestic violence
(38:04):
out of mind, Blank said, doesn't. We obviously had domestic
violence growing up. He was obviously very angry throughout life.
I don't really remember much of it, but my mum
has definitely said stuff that you know, in the past,
you know, before the incident that I think, you know, wow,
(38:29):
we weren't living the best life we were living in
back then. We were living in housing department in obviously
we lived in Birdie at the time, which is might
be not a very nice place. We weren't living the
best life back then. Obviously he's going to live life.
(38:51):
So I'm very lucky and very appreciative of the life
that I live now, and I wouldn't change for a thing.
You could. You could chuck me in anyhow, It doesn't
matter how nice it is or how about it is.
As long as I'm with my family and my amazing
step dad that I've got, you know, I'm living the
luxurious life, and I wouldn't change upon thing.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
What I love about you is this just this natural,
effortless there's no show, there's no Oh I'm gonna, Oh,
I'm gonna be this. I'm gonna I'm going to tell
people that like you're just you. And what happens is
you meet someone like you and you hear the story
and it sits in your mind and then you see
(39:33):
you just developing into an incredible person, who who chases
their dreams, who doesn't harbor hate, who doesn't make excuses,
who doesn't who doesn't fight and hold on to things,
And it's it's such an inspiration, like it's such a
testament to the humans. But there's so much bullshit in
(39:54):
the world right now, and it's so easy, and when
we're kind of almost baited to react to everything, it'd
be really easy for you to to pull that card
all the time. And I think just being exactly who
you are is a sense of ripple through the people
around you.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
Yeah, I still do this day. People will say to me,
it's the you know, the inspiring famous actor that's going
to grab and all these amazing things. There's obviously no guarantee.
It's a very hard industry to get into, so I
kind of lay low and you know, not saying oh, yeah,
that's going to be me. I would just say, yeah,
you know, that was really fun. I really do hope
(40:37):
that I can pursue an acting career because it's obviously
really fun. That's what I really want to do. But again,
I'm not going to act like I'm some amazing actor
who is going to be the next Chris Handsworth. In
any school, in any drama class, I'm just like any
(40:58):
other student. So I student, maybe some other student doesn't matter.
If I'm in a Mad Max movies. Maybe some other
student will get a better grade than me in an assessment,
And it happens all the time. I'm a kid who
gets the base level grades, so not extraordinarily good but
not bad. But yeah, I'm just like any other student
(41:20):
who's getting normal marks for drama people who I'm learning off.
I'm learning off everybody. I am inspired by the kids
around me, like my age. They sometimes they want to
notice it. And these people who I'm talking about now
from for example, my drama class, they know who they
are and if they're listening to this, I just know
(41:41):
that I am different inspired by you all, and I'm
learning by what you're doing. Doesn't matter what I've done
in my past, whether it be curiousa, I'm still learning
of what you're doing that you're inspiring me, and I'm
going to continue to watch you and envision what my
(42:03):
life is going to be by learning on what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Dude, no wonder my dad had a man crash on you.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
Honestly had a great time talking about who is great?
Speaker 2 (42:17):
Oh, who's inspired you?
Speaker 3 (42:21):
Who's inspired me? Under my mum, my brother, Just the
people I'm around, doesn't have to be anyone big. It's
just all the people I'm around, the ones that have
goted me through life. But if I had to be like,
for example, an active that's the Careerana This you definitely are.
(42:42):
Leonardo DiCaprio is my favorite actor. But just saying that
he's grown up.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
That where you got that haircut, you look a bit Liam.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Thank you. That's that's the best compliment ever. Actually, yeah,
so definitely him. I grew up now, I've grown up
watching movies. I love movies, but I watched I watched
Titanic for the first time in twenty twenty two. I've
been holding it off because I thought it was one
of those movies that was just boring, and people to
(43:14):
day they look at me and they go, why are
you watching Titanic? You know, it's really boring, but it's
it's one of the best movies. Have you seen it?
Speaker 2 (43:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (43:23):
Yeah, one of the best movies ever created. Yeah, I've
seen it a few hundred times. Yeah. Yeah. But I
was really inspired by his role as Shack Dawson, and
it's it's not you didn't method act. He was, in
my opinion, very natural about it. He put himself into
(43:46):
the role of you know, I've got to be a
person who hasn't come from much, so very poor. But
he didn't let it, didn't let life stop him. So
he's on the he's on the most grand ship in
the world. He's seen a girl and he's going to
obviously try and talk to her, and obviously has come
(44:06):
out the other side not.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Just dead, but but he got to Gale.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
You got the girl at the achievement. Yeah, that's it,
and you're just watching him in that role. Definitely inspired
me when Filmingfurios to just being like being being like
the character obviously the character obviously yourself too, and not
overdoing it, just being relaxed and having fun with it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Yeah, And what do you do? How do you manage
the tough times? How do you manage your mental health?
What's important to you? What are you what are you
mindful of?
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Yeah? I think just hanging hanging with my friends and
doing fun stuff with them, and it's being around my family.
I doesn't before. I'm a happy guy, so around other people,
I tend to spread positivity, which then, for example, makes
them happy, and then that keeps me happy because if
I'm around happy people, I'm meant to be happy and
I want to be kind. If they're kind, then I'm
(45:06):
going to be happy. If they're loving, I'm going to
be happy. And yeah, just being around others that are
kind and appreciative of others. You know, it keeps me
in a good headspace.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
Yeah, yeah, what else do you want to achieve?
Speaker 3 (45:23):
Yeah, I'd like to do another movie if I came around.
I mean, obviously another miracle would have to happen. Obviously
I've done auditions in the past, but it's a really
hard industry to get into it. So definitely another movie
would be really good. Doesn't have to be as big
as mad Max. Chuck me in a ten thousand dollars
budget film instead of The Furious's budget was like one
(45:43):
hundred and sixty something million.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
Yeah, yeah, chucked me in like a low budget film.
I'm fine with that. Just get me in another film,
And I guess my goal for the rest of life
is just inspiring people like I'm inspiring you right now
in my story and obvious see I must have in
some way inspired your.
Speaker 2 (46:02):
Dad big time, big time. Yeah, I think I just
lost my biggest fan to your now your biggest fan
one a new biggest fan.
Speaker 3 (46:13):
It's a fun new one, but no. Yeah, just my
goal my in life is just to spread positivity and
you know, just show people like myself with scars that
it's in life. It's not that you have to live
with scars. In what I've experienced, I've learned that I
get to I get to live with scars. I get
(46:35):
to for example, it's not I have to experience memories
with scars. I get to live. I get to live
life and experience with scars.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
That just gave me goosebumps.
Speaker 3 (46:47):
I was actually thinking of that as I was I
went for a walker just before and I was like, MS,
say this this sounds cool.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
It's so powerful. It's so powerful, and it's I mean,
I do a lot of coaching and developing. These perspectives
are huge for life and like for a seventeen year
old it's been through what you've been through to be
sitting there like, I'm just I think you're astounding.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:15):
Yeah. And what I love about, like I said, is
just this idea that the biggest impact you made was
Dad walked away and he was like he was just
so nice. He was because you interacted with him. He
was just beside himself with that, which is a ripple effect.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
It wasn't like, oh that I met this kid that
was in a movie. Here, I met this kid that
got burned. It was I met this really nice guy,
and you know what, I think he's got a story.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
If you actually came into our works, then I was
up on the counter, you'd think I was. And this
is obviously my goal. I'm super nice. If you walk
up and I said to you, how's your day going,
and I'll go, oh, yeah, pretty good, and you asked
me how my day was going, you will hear me
exactly say my day is going really well. Thank you.
(48:04):
I say. It doesn't matter how many day's going. I'm
always going to tell someone I'm having a really good day,
because then that person then thinks, oh, that person having
a really good day. That makes me feel good because
they're having a good day, I'm going to have a
good day.
Speaker 2 (48:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
They switch their mindset.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Yeah, you know, maybe how do you manage the ship days?
Speaker 3 (48:24):
Oh? I mean I don't really have many of those.
I mean, obviously there's day that we're not going to
be as happy as maybe you want to be. But
just always having a positive mindset really helps me. Maybe
if something negative has happened, thinking about the positives of
(48:44):
that certain thing, They're not looking and not imagine what
the negatives are. I'm fully focused on what the positives are.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
You're a weapon, mate, You're a weapon. Where can people
find you? Follow you? Stay in touch with everything you're doing.
What would you like to promote to the audience.
Speaker 3 (49:05):
Yeah, I think Instagram is probably my best bet. I
love instag I'm on Instagram so much and it's not
it's so crazy. I look at my I watch time,
it's my entertainment, which is probably most but most people's
are most watched. My watch time's like thirty one minutes,
and you on Instagram it's like six hours. I'm like,
what am I doing? And it's not the fact that
(49:28):
I'm scrolling and liking people's posts, It's not that I'm
watching reels. It's the fact that I'm every day making
I'm growing my account. I'm making I'm making something of myself.
And yeah, my Instagram is Spencer kind ofly the official.
I've got verified back in twenty twenty two. I was
very happy with that, not twenty twenty two, twenty four. Sorry,
(49:51):
I was thinking of what I feel. Furious are I
got verified on Instagram because of furious I put articles
into it.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
Greatest achievement ever I woke up on that is legitmate.
Speaker 3 (50:01):
I remember talking to Mark obviously, I'm I'm this young
Ford and you're a kid. I remember looking up at him.
I said, I said to him, you're very fud on Instagram,
and he goes, yeah, greatest achievement. And I remember in
the morning, I woke up and I got a notification
saying there I'm verified. I I remember one of the persons.
(50:22):
I did the message Mark and I said, I just
got verified Instagram. It's one of the greatest achievements of
my life. So it's one big circle. I talked to
him about him being verified on Instagram and him saying
it's the biggest achievement of his life, to then me
being able to stay back to him just a few
years later.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
I love that. I love that so much. I'm going
to have your your links in the show notes so
everyone can follow you. Everyone get around it. I think
I'll be watching mad Max this weekend.
Speaker 3 (50:52):
Best just too long. I remember sitting. I went to
the premiere, so I got to walk on the red carpet,
and I remember sitting. We were at this massive theater
and I actually remember sitting in my chair. We had
certain seats so I was under Warner Brothers. That's part
of the cast. I remember sitting there going we probably
(51:15):
go around three quarters away through it. I'm in the gun?
Is it going to end? Like my scenes are done
and my butt was hurt other time? So that it
goes for two hours and twenty nine minutes.
Speaker 2 (51:27):
Hang on, isn't Titanic a long movie? How long Titanic?
Speaker 3 (51:30):
That three hours and fifteen minutes? But it's worth The
Titanic's so worth it. Furios the personally not my type
of film that I would watch. I'm intor I mean romances. Yeah,
I'm a sucker for romances, but I mean it's Furious
is the one film and being able to see some
(51:51):
of the behind the scenes for that it was just fabulous.
So if anyone wants to watch, it's definitely are It's
definitely gonn watch.
Speaker 2 (51:57):
I think, well, I just want to see your scene.
Speaker 3 (52:00):
To be honest, I'm an hour and thirty seconds.
Speaker 2 (52:02):
In an hour and thirty seconds, thank you, I was
gonna I was gonna ask, Yeah, I around that point.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
If you go on my Instagram, there's posts that show
what I look like people struggle and to see what
I look like in the film, which I'm covering in
clay makeup. Took two almost two hours. First time I
took two hours. Yeah, so I was in a makeup
van for that, got my own trailer. I got escorted everywhere.
See yeah, every time I worke up in my hotel,
(52:31):
I walked down, get in the car, head to face.
Speaker 2 (52:35):
Amazing memory.
Speaker 3 (52:36):
But yeah, instagram' stelling my best bet. I post everything
on there.
Speaker 2 (52:41):
I love it all right, we're all going to be
following you. Thank you so m for today. It is bid.
Speaker 3 (52:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (52:46):
It's been a massive pleasure talking to you and you two. Yeah,
keep in touch.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
Cheers mate.
Speaker 1 (52:55):
She said it's now and never got fine hiding and
in my blood.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
Gott it quite a coast, got it, little girls, Gotta
lot of coats, got it,
She said, it's now never I got fighting in my blood.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I'm tiff. This is Role with the Punches and we're
turning life's hardest hits into wins. Nobody wants to go
to court, and don't. My friends at test Art Family
Lawyers know that they offer all forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Their team of Melbourne family lawyers have extensive experience in
(00:29):
all areas of family law to facto and same sex couples,
custody and children, family violence and intervention orders, property settlements
and financial agreements. Test Art is in your corner, so
reach out to Mark and the team at www dot
test Artfamilylawyers dot com dot au. Thank you so much
(00:52):
for tuning into this episode. I just wanted to drop
in here before you hear the conversation and let you
know that this is a really special one to me.
It is episode nine hundred of Roll with the Punches,
and that means that I've had eight hundred and ninety
nine previous conversations around the topic of what it means
(01:15):
to roll with the punches, what it means to get
up and rise because of what happened to you, rather
than stay down and let it hold us down and
it is such a fascinating concept to me about how
some people do that and what we can learn from them.
(01:36):
And that was really the crux of this entire show,
This conversation with Spencer I had a little less than
a week ago, and I have not stopped thinking about
it and him in a really positive manner. So it's
probably a wise time to let you know if you
haven't read the summary. Spencer's story is an incredibly confers
(02:00):
hunting one.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It is.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
It is a story that I wish that no one
in this world ever had to call their own, but
stories like this are out there, and this particular one
for me teaches us that we don't have to be
broken and defined by the awful things that happened to us.
Spencer Connelly has more right than anyone to harbor anger, resentment,
(02:26):
and bitterness, but somehow he's chosen the opposite. He's chosen kindness, love,
strength and acceptance, and he's chosen to succeed anyway, not
because of what happened to him, but in spite of it.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Nice sort of burns to my biological father. In a
revenge attack, he tried to murder me and the person
who tried to murder me. Is this being except free? They said,
I hope you don't as fire like Spencer should have.
You know, I'm just one of the happiest guys you
(03:07):
can probably ever meet. I'm going to live life how
I am now and I'm happy now. Why change that?
Speaker 1 (03:16):
She said, it's now and never? I got fighting in
my blood.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Spencer Connolly, welcome to roll with the punches.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Thank you. I'm happy to be here, buddy.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Hell I've been waiting for this conversation. I can tell
you that much. And I'm not the only ones you
know who else is waiting for this conversation. My dad,
he called me. We have had a week or two ago,
beyond excited that he had a wonderful guest for me
to talk to and lots of good things to say.
(03:50):
But you know my favorite part. He just went on
and on about what a lovely bloke you were. He said,
He's got to be the loveliest young man I've spoken to.
He's such a nice young man.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
I believe that being nice in the world is all
you can really do. I mean, you know, I'm just
one of the happiest guys you can probably ever meet,
and that's just you know, how I keep happy being
nice to people and being kind.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
What do you do with yourself? You're seventeen years old.
Tell us a bit about what you do with yourself.
Who is Spencer Connolly?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yes, I'm just a normal seventeen year old kid. I
live in Tasmania Northwest, go to school every day. I'm
in year twelve, so I do drama and all that.
I'm really I'm really into drama. I work at a
grocery store. That's where I met your dad.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I was working up on the counter. I usually work
on the shelves. Usually I'm pulling everything forward and make
sure everything's tidy. But I was very lucky enough to
the buzzes were called. Someone up to the front was
helping your dad scanning, scanning the items, and you know,
I was just chatting with him. I like chatting with
(05:06):
anybody that are that will talk to me. I think
that you know, you want to when you're shopping. You
want to be able to have a good conversation with someone.
It's not fun if you're kind of just sitting there.
And I mean, I'm happy enough to help someone with
the items if they're just standing there and they're waiting
to leave. But I mean as soon as your dad
started talking to me, I was like, this is this
(05:28):
is one good this is one good guy. I knew
that straight away.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He loves a bloody chat, doesn't he.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
It was really nice, he really is.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
That's awesome you've got. Well, look, you've got a huge
past and what seems like is going to be a
really huge future. I don't even know where to start
the conversation, mate, I don't even know where to start.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah, when you when you're dad was talking to me,
But believe I mean just from looking at me, you
can see that I've got an interesting past. But when
I'm in that kind of environment, I'm not I guess
talking about you know what I've done unless someone asks.
So I think what what you found from your dad
talking to me was a pot of gold. I mean,
(06:10):
he can really hit the jackpot. I just had to
talking to him, and I guess you got to know
a little bit about me, and that's what led to
him asking if I wanted to go on your podcast.
I was like, yeah, this is it. I mean, one
hundred percent, this is what I like to do, so
I'd love to do. This is what keeps me happy,
inspiring others with you know, my story. So I went
out the back, got a piece of paper, wrote down
(06:32):
my email and phone number, And to be honest, I
really didn't think it was going to go anywhere I've
I've you know, been you know, things have happened where
people have said they're going to do something and obviously
doesn't happen. So I thought, I'll just give him my number,
I'll just give my email. We'll see what happens. If
I get a callback or you know, an email, you know,
that'd be great. But if it doesn't happen, then at
(06:53):
least you know I've spoken to a really kind person.
So that I think it was the next day or
two days, I've got an email. It wasn't a messager,
messenger a message. I was like, well, you know, this
is obviously meant to happen. So I was like, yeah,
I'm going to do this one hundred and obviously I'd
(07:14):
done one of my first podcasts only a few weeks
ago and I really enjoyed it. So I'm like, I'm
I'm gonna do this. Yea, I'm gonna speak on another one.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
There was so much that captured me about when Dad
was speaking of you, and obviously, like you just alluded to,
when people see you, they can tell you've got an
interesting story. And when Dad was telling me and you,
I'll let you tell my listeners the background to that,
But when Dad was telling me, I remember thinking to myself,
(07:47):
he's a guy who when someone meets you, there's an
elephant in the room and people are curious but not
sure whether they should ask. And then I was thinking
about the end so that you then are giving them
every single time, And I was like.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
What a.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
What a story to live with, what a story to
grow through? What and understanding? How outgoing? And obviously you've
got this incredible personality, and I was like, I can't
wait to hear how this is all unfolded and how
you've developed that, and bloody hell, what we can learn
about getting through hard stuff because you have obviously got
some lessons the way you can share with us.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Yeah, yeah, I definitely are. I'm pretty crazy past and
I'm really hoping a really good future and then I've
definitely been helped a lot throughout the way, so hopefully
I can see what I want to in life. But yeah, summer,
I'm a burn fever. So I suffered burns at the
age of five years old. I don't know, if you've
(08:51):
done a little research it, it'll probably not a little bit. Yeah.
So I stuffed burns to my biological father in a
revenge attack. So you took it out on myself my
brother and lit the family car rocks so on fire.
There were gas cylinders in the back of the car,
so they blew up. My brother and I were really
lucky to be alive. Me being at the age of
(09:13):
five years old, I always wanted myself, how do I survive?
Because a five year old's mind, what are you going
to really think? You're not really gonna you only have
the mind to go. I'm going to do this to
save myself. So I look back at what I do
remember from that day and I wonder how I survived,
and I think maybe it was just a miracle. And
then I was just I wasn't supposed to My life
(09:35):
wasn't meant to end on that day, So that's what
saved me.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Always think about I think Tazzy is a beautiful little place,
and you know, I moved from Tazzy to Melbourne a
long time ago, and now when I go home. There's
a lot that stands out to me, and that community
and connection that I remember the first time I went
back to Tazzy and I would go for a run
through Don River Railway around the tracks and I'd have
(09:59):
my head for and I realized very quickly that whether
or not you have headphones on over your ears and
you're looking at the ground, when you pass somebody in Tazzy,
they're going to speak to you.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
And I had became deconditioned to that sort of interaction
here living in the city in Melbourne, where you can
you run into people and you're lucky if they turn
around and apologize for bumping you. So I think that
it could be a real testament to the people who
gathered around you and the people who developed you as
(10:33):
you were growing up as a young boy. And obviously
your beautiful mum and your family and your brother. Are
you comfortable talking a bit about that event? And yes,
like what do you remember?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
That's funny to say, because in the last prodcast I
I spoke on how it's obviously how stubber burns to fire.
I don't remember any fire at all, So it's all
because the brain's really smart in the way they can
block out like certain parts of your trauma. So I
don't remember any fire at all. I remember, for example,
some parts of you know, when I would have been
(11:07):
on fire, but I don't have any remember it's a fire,
hardly any I don't really remember the car at all.
I remember small parts of it, but so happened in
my backyard of where I was living at the time,
And yeah, I not. I don't really remember much from
that day. It's kind of I remember certain parts and
(11:29):
then it just blacks out. But yeah. One of the
one of the things I think is most interesting is
that I don't remember anything to do with fire. Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Do you remember the feeling or did was it? I mean,
it would have been quite intense. Did you Can you
recall the pain of it?
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Yeah? Again, not not really any pain. I don't remember
any pain. One of the things that I do remember.
And I'm basically just like trying to remember from I
always wondered to myself, I was five years old at
the time. Was I or am I making up memories?
For example? Maybe they're not true, maybe maybe I think
(12:06):
they're true, But I do believe that these are true.
And what I'm saying, is that. One of the memories
I remember is looking up. This is when we're on
the ground. I looked up and my brother's face looked different,
obviously because fire changed the way he looked. That's one
thing that I remember is they're looking up and my
(12:27):
brother and Sandy looked different. But when it comes to pain,
I've got nothing at all. I remember is everything that
I remember happening, But there's no pain. It's kind of
just it's kind of just an experience.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Brother younger or older than you.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
He's older than me. He's twenty one, so he was
eight when it happened. I was five. I turn eighteen
this year, so I'm seventeen right now and he's twenty one.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yeah. I guess there's silver lining is having a brother
that and you went through that together, so you had
each other and you didn't have to be a lot.
I feel like it'd be pretty isolating event. You don't
have to be alone in that because you've got someone
who's in the same boat.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Yeah, as much as you can be a man being
in hospital. My brother to get just discharged before me,
so he left the hospital before me. So we spent
Christmas in the hospital. We spent his birthday, we spent Easter,
and I would definitely say that for I think I
(13:28):
was in hospital for about five almost half a year,
so it was my new home and my brother's new
home for most of our year and twenty thirteen.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yeah, and as you like, you're a young, tiny child
at five, you got a lot of growing to do.
The burns affect your growth, Like, how did you need
to get further treatment as you were growing?
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah? So really so I suffered full thickness burons to
my neck and my shoulders and that really affected me
for a while to get constantine ay to release these
parts of my neck here because I can't turn my
head as far as everybody. So really not really my growth,
but definitely my flexibility was an issue.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
And what were kids at school? Like, what was life
like as a young kid going, you know, surviving that
coming out of hospital and getting back into kin't or
trying to get back into life.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yeah, I saw mid schools. So I had to start
a new life. Basically I had to move. I moved
from one place to another and obviously started the new school.
I remember a little bit of studying in new school.
It's definitely harder than you know, a normal kid moving
to a different school, because it's already hard for someone
(14:44):
else studying a new school with someone who looks different
to everybody else studying a new school. Definitely, I don't
remember how much, but it would have been a challenge. Definitely.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Were kids kind? Were they cruel? How did you find that?
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I've never truly been called stuff to my face at all,
but I can I terpretnt tell you that people have
said stuff behind that as ye undred percent?
Speaker 2 (15:08):
How do you deal with that? How do you cope
with that?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah? So I thinthing it actually happened a few weeks ago.
I spoke about another podcast I did where they said
a certain person at school said that they are that
they were talking to someone else and they said, I
hope you don't as fire like Spencer should have. Yeah,
And I heard that because I didn't hear it technically
from I heard of my friend. They said what they
(15:31):
had said, what the other person said, and it didn't
really affect me at all. I've got a really good
mental health. But I was sitting in class by the
next class that I was in, and that's when it
kind of started to hit me. I'm like I can't
just sit here and you know, let them get away
with saying that. So I personally myself went to a
(15:55):
person who could help me, spoke about it to them,
and they are they dealt with it as much as
they could, but it doesn't really affect me. But you know,
just knowing the fact they've said that, I definitely to
do something about it because I don't want to see,
you know, what happened to someone else. I'm really I'm
really grateful that it happened to me not someone else,
and that I could take the hit. And you know,
(16:17):
someone who you know, maybe happens to them it said
about them and they don't have a good mental health
that could really affect them. So definitely be able to
watch what they say and you know, just accept for
people and who they are and how they look.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
All right, where'd you get this level of being grounded
and this mindset? Did you do therapy? Did you what
was how did you nurture that? Yes?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
So my brother and I we had therapy growing up,
my brother a little bit more than me. But I
guess I've grown up like this. I know, I don't
know anything different, So I just live day to day
like anybody else, and I just prefer being treated like
any other person who looks normal.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
What's the hardest thing about it for you?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
I think you know that there I guess there are
times where you know, I would be in a group
of people and I just think to myself, you know,
I do look different at times. I do think, you know,
maybe I do look different and I not not. I
don't like you feel horrible, but I do go what
(17:30):
do people think? I mean, like they always say, doesn't matter.
People think, but some mentality you're going to you know,
obviously think that another thing would be definitely talking to girls.
I struggle with that a lot because I always wonder.
I always think to myself, if I wasn't a hundred,
if I was in a room with a hundred men
(17:50):
like myself, there's ninety nine people who don't have scars,
and there's one person with the scars. I always think,
you know, they're going to choose someone without the scars
because that's the normal compared to someone with scars. It
doesn't mean that I don't talk to girls, it's just
that's definitely my biggest challenge.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I feel lot we all have that challenge.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, yeah, it's it's hard with everybody, but I think
it's definitely and I think everybody with scars like myself,
maybe their burns, maybe it's something different. Definitely. I own
the head sometimes about you know, what is this person?
I think? You know? Should I even try?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Is it something that has driven you to be something
to push for your dreams?
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Yeah? I are some of the foundation they called the
Kids Foundation, some around a lots of other people that
I like myself. I've first started off when I joined
back in twenty thirteen, So I have it burns in
twenty twelve December, but I joined them in twenty thirteen.
I'm around people like myself or something burns. I can
(19:02):
see you know that they're they're happy and they're achieving dreams.
That then you know, lets me know that I can
do the exact same. So definitely, then you know, being
around those people definitely helps me out a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah. A big advocate myself of the having the philosophy
that the hard stuff is the best stuff. Like I
remember a point of time, I mean I'm forty now,
but it was only in recent years where the penny
dropped and I went everything in my life that I
cared deeply about is a direct result of the really
(19:40):
hard shit that I went through. And so you know,
sometimes I would notice myself. I think it's human nature.
We're waiting to get over some hurdle, to not feel
a certain way, or to not be scared, or to
not be nervous, or to put something to bed. But yeah,
making that realization, I was like, that's like, I wouldn't
(20:01):
love all the things I love. I wouldn't love speaking.
I wouldn't love podcasting and talking to people like you
if I hadn't been through I keep on going to
make these analogies, and I'm like, you can't say that
that's like a punt been through the fire. I'm going
to say, been through the fire myself metaphorically to really
appreciate what's on the other side of that. And I
think that, you know, like, what are the things for
(20:24):
you that stand out where you go? I know that
I can appreciate this more or I'm driven further because
of this.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, I always say that I wouldn't change a thing.
These burns that I suffered are and these scars have
only led me to amazing experiences, whether it be speaking
in front of a bunch of people inspiring, like inspiring
being with my story. I acted in my first movie
back in twenty twenty two, which is Australia's biggest movie franchise,
(20:56):
Mad NAC's Furiosa. And yeah, just you know not, they
wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't go back in time
and remove that bad experiences because it's only given me
good things in life.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Yeah till me about mad Max.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah. So I was fourteen at the time. I was
with the foundation that with on a Burns camp and
we saw an article on Facebook then needed extras that
were burns others. So I'm like, this is really cool.
I'm fourteen, you know, I imagine imagine telling my friends,
telling my family being able to be in a move
like this at fourteen. So we called up and sadly
(21:33):
they are they were all full. So I was too late.
So when we went through our day, weeks months went by,
and then the CEO of the foundation was staying at
a health retreat with another person in a room, and
the CEO had written a book and my story was
in the book along with my brothers, and she happened
(21:55):
to read that book and the next day a man
comes and taps the see of the kids the nation
on the shoulder and says, I need to speak with you.
This is this is an amazing man. His name is
Robin Mackenzie. He owns mac is Angus Beef. So they
really are really successful blake and definitely a really good guy.
(22:18):
And he says, I need to talk to you. My
land is being used for mad Max Furiosa. I want
to give my extra roll up for this kid of yours.
We said no. We said no because respectfully, that's his role.
We wouldn't want to take that away. That's something special
for him. So the CEO said, give the cast and
(22:41):
directors contact to us and you know we'll chat to them.
So we called up. I was only meant to get
a tour of the set, which then changed into an
extra role. But then the director thought my audition was
too good that I needed to speaking rather, so I'm
part of the cast.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I would like to get that have that progression.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Yeah. I think that that was another miracle. They just
led into one another. I got to work with some
amazing people. Annie Taylor joys rising at this point, she's
doing well for herself. Chris Smsworth, who is Australia's Biggies
actor got to Yeah, I got to meet him.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
That's really cool.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
And I think the other cast was this like we
say we say my cast, so our cast, So if
someone's speaking to someone that's say my cast is, we're
all like family. So when I say I say that
my cast was just amazing because I got to, you know,
work with some amazing people like myself, who are you know,
(23:45):
potentially even getting into their first movie like myself. One person,
have you ever heard of Sean mills On. He's on
TikTok He went viral last year. I've got to work
with him and we're like best friends. Now we are
Promario this year. Actually he was in the voice Yeah.
You might have to get Hione here. He's pretty inspiring himself.
(24:06):
We're both pretty inspiring with her. We both got our
own stories. So I got to work with him and
some other amazing people, obviously Mark Wales, who you know, Yes, yep,
he worked he worked on There. I met him on there.
Fun fact, I was going into rehearsals. This was the
first time I was doing rehearsals and I met Mark
and I didn't know what any of the I knew
that Chris Hemsworth's family was being involved. I don't know
(24:29):
who though, So originally, when Mark walked in, I've never
told him this at all. I actually thought he was
a Hemsworth brother because and I've been told that you
wouldn't want to I wouldn't want to say to his face
because I think he was too good. Mark things. Because
it's just I seriously thought he was a Hemsworth brother.
I was like, I'm sitting in the room with Liam Emsworth.
(24:51):
This is great. And then I heard Mark blows and
I was like, oh, all right, well that's fine, but
I wouldn't change I mean, Marks definitely are one of
my favorite people in life. Is that an inspirational guy,
has written multiple books. He was on Survivor. Yeah, yeah,
and yeah, just being able to work with him was fabulous.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
What a weapon. What makes a good actor?
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I think it doesn't matter if you've been in
one movie or thirty. I experienced myself with working with
people who it was their first movie. It doesn't matter
whether you're good or not. It matters, you know, what
your perspective is. So being happy having a good like
having a good you know atmosphere you know, being yourself. Yeah,
(25:42):
it does not matter how much experience you pattern. I
mean I worked on Furious with people. It was their
first movie and they went in the same age as me.
I was one of the younger cast members. I was
working with people who were between twenty two, like probably
almost forty, And it's just having a good humor and
(26:03):
having a good work mentality and obviously with anyone would
want to do acting, it's really fun. It's not like
their colleagues. It's like that their brands. They're all friends.
And that's that's how it was. Where we were sitting
backstage laughing with each other. It's not like you're having
a work break. It's like you're having you're having lunching,
(26:25):
just chatting with you with your friends.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Yeah. For someone that doesn't that's not in that world,
like me and most of the people listening to this,
what I'm trying to think of what our perception of
actors would be, because you talk about that and I'm like, oh,
I feel like if I was going in for an
acting role, it's very me centric. It's very putting on
a you know, I'm putting on a show and it's
(26:49):
all about me and it's how I do this, and
and the way you talk about it is so it's
it's so the opposite of how you relate to people.
It's how easy you are to work with, It's how
much you bring good energy.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Yeah, I'd always go on a set every day. You'd
get that like fairly in your body because you'd have
to wake up between I was very lucky because I
was bought in at the time, so i'd have the
same rules as everybody, the same laws. So I had
to wake up later, but most cast members would have
to wake up between one thirty and three thirty, yeah,
(27:22):
to be on set by to be on set by
like six so yeah. So me myself, I had to
wake up with like four thirty five ish to be
on set by seven seven thirty. But when I was
going on to set, it's like it's just a thrill ride.
I mean, going on there, You've got all the extras
(27:46):
behind you and the amazing set and all the crew members.
It's it doesn't feel like work if it was like
and I think that's what when you listen to people
like Chris Hamsworth when they're explaining their you know their job,
and that's why people like Dwayne rob Johnson's his net
(28:08):
worth is around eight hundred million, and he could easily
retire and live fifty lives, probably even more one hundred
lives in paradise with probably fifty million mansions for we know.
But he keeps on acting because that's it. It's an
enjoyable job, and it's not seen as a job. It's
(28:29):
seen as it's just a fun experience. And obviously when
you watch a movie, you always wonder what was it
like filming, you know, with the behind the scenes, like
for example Tom Cruise when he does all these stunts
that would be really fun, and these actors who could
do experiences, and obviously I've experienced it once in my
life and it's just an amazing experience. So it's it's
(28:52):
not like work. It's like it's just a fun experience.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah, was it what you expected?
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I didn't really know what I was going for at all.
I think once I actually was on the way flying
to Sydney's I filmed it in Sydney, I kind of
understood what I was getting myself into. I had to
shave my head from the film. Yeah, so I shaved
my head back in twenty twenties, I shaved it four
or five times, didn't wash my hair all for that time,
(29:20):
so I didn't have any hair. It was fully shaved.
It was fully it was fully shaved off. All that
was shaved off.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
How long was the was the filming process?
Speaker 3 (29:30):
Yes, so that they filmed all the furious between. I
think it was maybe March to October. I filmed four
times between August and September, but I like to say
it was about three months because I found out about it.
(29:52):
I was in it in late July, so but yes,
I filmed for about about two months.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
What an incredible experience did you think? I mean, you're
already into drama. Were you planning to carve this path seriously?
Or was this an opportunity that kind of went solidified?
You know what, I can go in this direction.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Yes, I've always wanted a bit performer, whether it be
my childhood dream was a comedian, which then just changed
into wanted to perform. I like screen. So if someone
says to me what I like with acting, I'm not
a big fan of theater. I like screen because you
(30:39):
don't have to do everything in one go. You can
have to that point where you can do multiple takes.
And I think it's more fun because the setter, for example,
three D compared to two D with productions the theater,
and it's just, in my opinion, a lot more fun.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
What's the next for you? What are you working on?
You've got some big stuff in the pipeline, I believe.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Yeah. So I've got a thing coming out. A friend
of Marx I want. I'm meant to do a project
for his Instagram. I'll plug it. It's called The Story
with Scars, So it's kind of like a story profile
on anyone with non physical or physical scars. He just
(31:27):
like he sits down, tells the story does like a
little photo shoot. When I a little it was longer
to like two hours, but really really fun. I really
enjoyed it. So that's going to come out hopefully later
this month. I messaged the other day his name is
Jared saying really really, really good guy. My messaged in
the other day. It was like, mate, man's this thing
(31:47):
coming out? And he goes, you want to sit tight, mae,
I got a few more stories coming out. I'm like,
I'm seventeen, mate, you're just telling I can't just sit
back and just enjoy myself. And then so hopefully later
this month. I'm really excited to see it. And then
I'm doing I'm an ambassador for an event in May
for the Kids Foundation, so the organization that I'm with,
(32:11):
so I'm an ambassador for that. They're riding horses. It's
called toad Horse and we're riding. We're not me. I'm
not riding. I might ride a little bit if they
want me to. I did last year. I went it
last year. It's the second year that we're doing it.
They ride horses two hundred kilometers horseback, so on a saddle.
(32:33):
In last last year we did it in summer. We're
not stupid. This year we're going to do it in awesome. Yeah.
So we're hopefully we're going to try and raise one
million dollars.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Wow, got some really good people on board. We've got
a model who was born in Australia but she now
lives in New York, Georgia Burke And you've heard of her, No, no, Yeah,
she's I was in the newspaper the other day. I
didn't know I was, and it was she was inspired
by my story. So she's got about one hundred and
(33:08):
sixty nine thousand on Instagram. So we've got some amazing
people on board for this event, and I'm really excited
for it because it's it's an inspirational event. We've obviously
we've got some amazing people on board for it. And
I remember from last year it was really fun. I
did write, I did write a little bit. I'm not
a big fan of what's writing, but anything to support
(33:34):
the cause and make it look make you know, tht
it was a little bit more fun.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Must be really rewarding to be involved in helping especially kids,
kids that have been through things like you what what
do you get out of it? Or what what do
they need?
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Yeah, the kids fnation has been like a second family
to me. For I guess it is thirteen twelve years
this year twelve years. And I definitely went into it
with low confidence, very shy. My brother went in even
more shy, and my confidence whenever we're more really young,
(34:16):
whenever my parents would leave us there, my brother would
cry because you know, we weren't used to being by ourselves.
We've definitely come out the other side way stronger. I mean,
I do conferences where I speak in front of whether
it be ten people or three hundred or four hundred.
(34:37):
I was lucky enough last year to speak my story
in front of three hundred and fifty people. They're all
executive officers, so they're all rich people in suits. But
now that was really fun. I guess the Foundation, the
Kids Foundation, They've got a lot for me throughout the years.
They're definitely My confidence has grown so much in these
(35:01):
past twelve years, and I know that they can definitely
see it, and that they're definitely proud of me for
it and my brother, and that we've grown into two
amazing young men.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
I'm going to introduce you to someone one of my
mates that comes down and runs Evince sometimes in Tazzy
for boys, and you'd be great. You'd be great for that.
So yeah, yeah, for sure. How How was how is mom?
How was mum? How did she cope through all of this?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Jola says that as people might think of that, as
you know that something like this happens, you know, we
can't I can't do it. You know it's too hard,
But you've got no choice. You're in that situation. You've
got to live life. You've got no choice, So live
it as strong as you can be. You know, it's
be as strong as you can be and that's all
(35:57):
she was. She was just the biggest support ever.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Yeah, how do you and her and maybe your brother?
I mean, how do you all deal with? Is there
any resentment or anger or bitterness?
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Yes, so my biliging father A potentially may get released this.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Year's feeling it must be soon? How does that feel?
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Ah? I mean, obviously that's what the court decided to
decided was they thought it was originally meant to get
I think it was just over twenty years, but they
thought it was too harsh.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
So don't even get me started. I read I read that.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
I was so angry, Yeah that they obviously, I think
it's released this year. That's the way life goes. But
I'm not scared at all. I'm just going to live
life how I am now. I mean, I'm happy now?
Why change that?
Speaker 2 (36:57):
So mad? I feel so mad about that?
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Yeah, yep, I guess obviously you're feeling that. Imagine like
may have put in a position where he tried to
murder me, and the person who tried to murder me,
is this being set free? It's kind of it kind
of for a while, and my mind just didn't seem real,
and I've kind of come to reality now you know
(37:20):
this is happening, by how am I going to deal
with it? And it's just in a way of I'm
just going to deal with it with positivity. With positivity,
I'm not going to change how how I live, how
I feel. I'm just going to be the same inspiring
at the kid.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Yeah, good on you was he was? He a turbulent
father to grow up with prior to that event.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
Definitely, I don't really remember much. I'm really lucky enough
to my mind he's been blocked out. I have no
real memory of him at all, but I have heard
stories that he, you know, was this obviously was what
do you call it? Definitely violence, domestic viotments, domestic violence
(38:04):
out of mind, Blank said, doesn't. We obviously had domestic
violence growing up. He was obviously very angry throughout life.
I don't really remember much of it, but my mum
has definitely said stuff that you know, in the past,
you know, before the incident that I think, you know, wow,
(38:29):
we weren't living the best life we were living in
back then. We were living in housing department in obviously
we lived in Birdie at the time, which is might
be not a very nice place. We weren't living the
best life back then. Obviously he's going to live life.
(38:51):
So I'm very lucky and very appreciative of the life
that I live now, and I wouldn't change for a thing.
You could. You could chuck me in anyhow, It doesn't
matter how nice it is or how about it is.
As long as I'm with my family and my amazing
step dad that I've got, you know, I'm living the
luxurious life, and I wouldn't change upon thing.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
What I love about you is this just this natural,
effortless there's no show, there's no Oh I'm gonna, Oh,
I'm gonna be this. I'm gonna I'm going to tell
people that like you're just you. And what happens is
you meet someone like you and you hear the story
and it sits in your mind and then you see
(39:33):
you just developing into an incredible person, who who chases
their dreams, who doesn't harbor hate, who doesn't make excuses,
who doesn't who doesn't fight and hold on to things,
And it's it's such an inspiration, like it's such a
testament to the humans. But there's so much bullshit in
(39:54):
the world right now, and it's so easy, and when
we're kind of almost baited to react to everything, it'd
be really easy for you to to pull that card
all the time. And I think just being exactly who
you are is a sense of ripple through the people
around you.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
Yeah, I still do this day. People will say to me,
it's the you know, the inspiring famous actor that's going
to grab and all these amazing things. There's obviously no guarantee.
It's a very hard industry to get into, so I
kind of lay low and you know, not saying oh, yeah,
that's going to be me. I would just say, yeah,
you know, that was really fun. I really do hope
(40:37):
that I can pursue an acting career because it's obviously
really fun. That's what I really want to do. But again,
I'm not going to act like I'm some amazing actor
who is going to be the next Chris Handsworth. In
any school, in any drama class, I'm just like any
(40:58):
other student. So I student, maybe some other student doesn't matter.
If I'm in a Mad Max movies. Maybe some other
student will get a better grade than me in an assessment,
And it happens all the time. I'm a kid who
gets the base level grades, so not extraordinarily good but
not bad. But yeah, I'm just like any other student
(41:20):
who's getting normal marks for drama people who I'm learning off.
I'm learning off everybody. I am inspired by the kids
around me, like my age. They sometimes they want to
notice it. And these people who I'm talking about now
from for example, my drama class, they know who they
are and if they're listening to this, I just know
(41:41):
that I am different inspired by you all, and I'm
learning by what you're doing. Doesn't matter what I've done
in my past, whether it be curiousa, I'm still learning
of what you're doing that you're inspiring me, and I'm
going to continue to watch you and envision what my
(42:03):
life is going to be by learning on what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Dude, no wonder my dad had a man crash on you.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
Honestly had a great time talking about who is great?
Speaker 2 (42:17):
Oh, who's inspired you?
Speaker 3 (42:21):
Who's inspired me? Under my mum, my brother, Just the
people I'm around, doesn't have to be anyone big. It's
just all the people I'm around, the ones that have
goted me through life. But if I had to be like,
for example, an active that's the Careerana This you definitely are.
(42:42):
Leonardo DiCaprio is my favorite actor. But just saying that
he's grown up.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
That where you got that haircut, you look a bit Liam.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Thank you. That's that's the best compliment ever. Actually, yeah,
so definitely him. I grew up now, I've grown up
watching movies. I love movies, but I watched I watched
Titanic for the first time in twenty twenty two. I've
been holding it off because I thought it was one
of those movies that was just boring, and people to
(43:14):
day they look at me and they go, why are
you watching Titanic? You know, it's really boring, but it's
it's one of the best movies. Have you seen it?
Speaker 2 (43:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (43:23):
Yeah, one of the best movies ever created. Yeah, I've
seen it a few hundred times. Yeah. Yeah. But I
was really inspired by his role as Shack Dawson, and
it's it's not you didn't method act. He was, in
my opinion, very natural about it. He put himself into
(43:46):
the role of you know, I've got to be a
person who hasn't come from much, so very poor. But
he didn't let it, didn't let life stop him. So
he's on the he's on the most grand ship in
the world. He's seen a girl and he's going to
obviously try and talk to her, and obviously has come
(44:06):
out the other side not.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Just dead, but but he got to Gale.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
You got the girl at the achievement. Yeah, that's it,
and you're just watching him in that role. Definitely inspired
me when Filmingfurios to just being like being being like
the character obviously the character obviously yourself too, and not
overdoing it, just being relaxed and having fun with it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Yeah, And what do you do? How do you manage
the tough times? How do you manage your mental health?
What's important to you? What are you what are you
mindful of?
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Yeah? I think just hanging hanging with my friends and
doing fun stuff with them, and it's being around my family.
I doesn't before. I'm a happy guy, so around other people,
I tend to spread positivity, which then, for example, makes
them happy, and then that keeps me happy because if
I'm around happy people, I'm meant to be happy and
I want to be kind. If they're kind, then I'm
(45:06):
going to be happy. If they're loving, I'm going to
be happy. And yeah, just being around others that are
kind and appreciative of others. You know, it keeps me
in a good headspace.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
Yeah, yeah, what else do you want to achieve?
Speaker 3 (45:23):
Yeah, I'd like to do another movie if I came around.
I mean, obviously another miracle would have to happen. Obviously
I've done auditions in the past, but it's a really
hard industry to get into it. So definitely another movie
would be really good. Doesn't have to be as big
as mad Max. Chuck me in a ten thousand dollars
budget film instead of The Furious's budget was like one
(45:43):
hundred and sixty something million.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
Yeah, yeah, chucked me in like a low budget film.
I'm fine with that. Just get me in another film,
And I guess my goal for the rest of life
is just inspiring people like I'm inspiring you right now
in my story and obvious see I must have in
some way inspired your.
Speaker 2 (46:02):
Dad big time, big time. Yeah, I think I just
lost my biggest fan to your now your biggest fan
one a new biggest fan.
Speaker 3 (46:13):
It's a fun new one, but no. Yeah, just my
goal my in life is just to spread positivity and
you know, just show people like myself with scars that
it's in life. It's not that you have to live
with scars. In what I've experienced, I've learned that I
get to I get to live with scars. I get
(46:35):
to for example, it's not I have to experience memories
with scars. I get to live. I get to live
life and experience with scars.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
That just gave me goosebumps.
Speaker 3 (46:47):
I was actually thinking of that as I was I
went for a walker just before and I was like, MS,
say this this sounds cool.
Speaker 2 (46:54):
It's so powerful. It's so powerful, and it's I mean,
I do a lot of coaching and developing. These perspectives
are huge for life and like for a seventeen year
old it's been through what you've been through to be
sitting there like, I'm just I think you're astounding.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:15):
Yeah. And what I love about, like I said, is
just this idea that the biggest impact you made was
Dad walked away and he was like he was just
so nice. He was because you interacted with him. He
was just beside himself with that, which is a ripple effect.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
You know.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
It wasn't like, oh that I met this kid that
was in a movie. Here, I met this kid that
got burned. It was I met this really nice guy,
and you know what, I think he's got a story.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
If you actually came into our works, then I was
up on the counter, you'd think I was. And this
is obviously my goal. I'm super nice. If you walk
up and I said to you, how's your day going,
and I'll go, oh, yeah, pretty good, and you asked
me how my day was going, you will hear me
exactly say my day is going really well. Thank you.
(48:04):
I say. It doesn't matter how many day's going. I'm
always going to tell someone I'm having a really good day,
because then that person then thinks, oh, that person having
a really good day. That makes me feel good because
they're having a good day, I'm going to have a
good day.
Speaker 2 (48:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
They switch their mindset.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Yeah, you know, maybe how do you manage the ship days?
Speaker 3 (48:24):
Oh? I mean I don't really have many of those.
I mean, obviously there's day that we're not going to
be as happy as maybe you want to be. But
just always having a positive mindset really helps me. Maybe
if something negative has happened, thinking about the positives of
(48:44):
that certain thing, They're not looking and not imagine what
the negatives are. I'm fully focused on what the positives are.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
You're a weapon, mate, You're a weapon. Where can people
find you? Follow you? Stay in touch with everything you're doing.
What would you like to promote to the audience.
Speaker 3 (49:05):
Yeah, I think Instagram is probably my best bet. I
love instag I'm on Instagram so much and it's not
it's so crazy. I look at my I watch time,
it's my entertainment, which is probably most but most people's
are most watched. My watch time's like thirty one minutes,
and you on Instagram it's like six hours. I'm like,
what am I doing? And it's not the fact that
(49:28):
I'm scrolling and liking people's posts, It's not that I'm
watching reels. It's the fact that I'm every day making
I'm growing my account. I'm making I'm making something of myself.
And yeah, my Instagram is Spencer kind ofly the official.
I've got verified back in twenty twenty two. I was
very happy with that, not twenty twenty two, twenty four. Sorry,
(49:51):
I was thinking of what I feel. Furious are I
got verified on Instagram because of furious I put articles
into it.
Speaker 2 (49:57):
Greatest achievement ever I woke up on that is legitmate.
Speaker 3 (50:01):
I remember talking to Mark obviously, I'm I'm this young
Ford and you're a kid. I remember looking up at him.
I said, I said to him, you're very fud on Instagram,
and he goes, yeah, greatest achievement. And I remember in
the morning, I woke up and I got a notification
saying there I'm verified. I I remember one of the persons.
(50:22):
I did the message Mark and I said, I just
got verified Instagram. It's one of the greatest achievements of
my life. So it's one big circle. I talked to
him about him being verified on Instagram and him saying
it's the biggest achievement of his life, to then me
being able to stay back to him just a few
years later.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
I love that. I love that so much. I'm going
to have your your links in the show notes so
everyone can follow you. Everyone get around it. I think
I'll be watching mad Max this weekend.
Speaker 3 (50:52):
Best just too long. I remember sitting. I went to
the premiere, so I got to walk on the red carpet,
and I remember sitting. We were at this massive theater
and I actually remember sitting in my chair. We had
certain seats so I was under Warner Brothers. That's part
of the cast. I remember sitting there going we probably
(51:15):
go around three quarters away through it. I'm in the gun?
Is it going to end? Like my scenes are done
and my butt was hurt other time? So that it
goes for two hours and twenty nine minutes.
Speaker 2 (51:27):
Hang on, isn't Titanic a long movie? How long Titanic?
Speaker 3 (51:30):
That three hours and fifteen minutes? But it's worth The
Titanic's so worth it. Furios the personally not my type
of film that I would watch. I'm intor I mean romances. Yeah,
I'm a sucker for romances, but I mean it's Furious
is the one film and being able to see some
(51:51):
of the behind the scenes for that it was just fabulous.
So if anyone wants to watch, it's definitely are It's
definitely gonn watch.
Speaker 2 (51:57):
I think, well, I just want to see your scene.
Speaker 3 (52:00):
To be honest, I'm an hour and thirty seconds.
Speaker 2 (52:02):
In an hour and thirty seconds, thank you, I was
gonna I was gonna ask, Yeah, I around that point.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
If you go on my Instagram, there's posts that show
what I look like people struggle and to see what
I look like in the film, which I'm covering in
clay makeup. Took two almost two hours. First time I
took two hours. Yeah, so I was in a makeup
van for that, got my own trailer. I got escorted everywhere.
See yeah, every time I worke up in my hotel,
(52:31):
I walked down, get in the car, head to face.
Speaker 2 (52:35):
Amazing memory.
Speaker 3 (52:36):
But yeah, instagram' stelling my best bet. I post everything
on there.
Speaker 2 (52:41):
I love it all right, we're all going to be
following you. Thank you so m for today. It is bid.
Speaker 3 (52:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (52:46):
It's been a massive pleasure talking to you and you two. Yeah,
keep in touch.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
Cheers mate.
Speaker 1 (52:55):
She said it's now and never got fine hiding and
in my blood.
Speaker 3 (53:05):
Gott it quite a coast, got it, little girls, Gotta
lot of coats, got it,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!