How Newcastle-born Boy Swallows Universe actor went from being ‘bullied’ to a massive Netflix star
He’s the boy from Newcastle who was bullied on the playground because he was on TV.
But when Isaac Strutt-Stevens returns to school later this month, he will be a local hero.
Isaac, 15, is one of the stars of Australian-made Netflix hit Boy Swallows Universe, which has been storming the charts since arriving on the streaming giant on January 11.
“Before the show came out, I kept getting bullied for it, and I thought, ‘God, they’re so annoying,’ but I don’t think they’re going to bully me now,” Isaac said during an appearance on Tanya and Steve for Breakfast .
In the critically acclaimed drama, Isaac plays a teenage cancer patient named Christopher, who befriends the show’s main character, Eli, played by another teenage actor: Felix Cameron.
He’s the boy from Newcastle who was bullied on the playground because he was on TV. But when Isaac Strutt-Stevens returns to school later this month, he will be a local hero. Pictured
During Friday’s interview with Triple M presenters Tanya and Steve, the young star said it was his mother who urged him to audition for the role after seeing a casting call on Facebook.
He also talked about the demands of the role, which included shaving off his hair and playing a character who swore a lot.
“I’m not allowed to swear at home,” Isaac explained.
“(And) ever since I was a little kid, I’ve dreamed of being in a movie that has swearing in it,” he joked.
Isaac, 15, is one of the stars of the Australian-made Netflix hit Boy Swallows Universe
It comes after Boy Swallows Universe became a global hit.
Adapted from Trent Dalton’s bestseller of the same name, the drama is set in 1980s Brisbane and follows the life of young Eli Bell as he deals with bullies, trauma and crime.
The show has stormed into Netflix’s global Top Five, with 3.8 million viewers watching it in the first four days of its release.
The drama also reached the top ten in 47 countries including America, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Australia.
Boy Swallows Universe was released in full on January 11.
The series stars A-list Australian actors including Phoebe Tonkin as Frances Bell and Vikings star Travis Fimmel as her drug dealing partner Lyle Orlik.
Adapted from Trent Dalton’s bestseller of the same name, the drama is set in 1980s Brisbane and follows the life of young Eli Bell as he deals with bullies, trauma and crime. Pictured: A scene from the Boy Swallows universe