Furiosa: A Mad Max Sage: Spencer was five years old when he was set on fire by his dad in an unforgivable act of revenge. The brave boy survived – and now he’s realised his dream

A teenager who survived being set on fire by his father as a child has fulfilled his dream of starring in a blockbuster Hollywood film.

Sixteen-year-old Spencer Connelly, from Tasmania’s north-west, has been cast in the epic film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga after auditioning as an extra for the film which premieres on Thursday.

Spencer’s father Paul Brian Edward Connelly set him on fire in a car at the age of five, along with his older brother Fletcher, then eight, in Burnie, west of Devonport, on December 5, 2012.

The siblings survived but suffered severe burns in the horror incident. Their father had tried to kill them and himself to prevent their mother from gaining custody of them.

Connelly had placed two gas cans in the back of his car when he picked up the siblings from daycare 12 years ago.

Around 5 p.m. that day, he lit the gas bottles with a cigarette, causing them to investigate.

Spencer suffered burns to almost half of his body, while Fletcher suffered burns to more than 20 percent of his body.

Connelly was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years behind bars with a non-parole period of 15 years for attempted murder.

Spencer, who recovered from his serious injuries but still bears the scars, was given the opportunity to audition for a role in the film by director George Miller, who was moved by Spencer’s story.

The teenager was not allowed to reveal that he had a role in the film after signing a non-disclosure agreement.

“It’s the biggest film franchise in Australia, so it was definitely a challenge to keep it hidden from everyone,” Spencer said ABC.

Spencer was given the opportunity to be part of the film with the help of the Kids Foundation, a child welfare charity that helped with his recovery.

“I had actually never seen a Mad Max movie, I didn’t know what Mad Max was before,” he said.

Susie O’Neill, chief executive of the Kids Foundation, said Spencer revealed his goal was to be cast in a film during a camp hosted by the organization a few years earlier.

“The young people write down the three most important things they want to achieve in the next 12 months,” she said.

‘Everyone else had written things like dogs, computers and the things you would expect. Spencer wanted to be in a blockbuster,” she said.

Spencer (pictured right) and his older brother Fletcher (pictured left) were set on fire by their father in a car as their father picked them up from daycare in December 2012

The teenager (pictured left) walked the red carpet at the Sydney premiere of the blockbuster film earlier this month (pictured right Australian actor Mark Wales)

Ms O’Neill said she had a chance meeting with the owner of a piece of land in Victoria that was used to film part of the movie.

The man helped make the unlikely dream a reality after offering to give his role in the film to Spencer, with the teenager playing one of the ‘war boys’, known as a group of soldiers.

Not only will Spencer appear in the film alongside major stars, he also graced the red carpet at the film’s Sydney premiere with Chris Hemsworth earlier this month.

The film has a budget reportedly worth $168 million.

Spencer said he was grateful for the opportunity to be cast in the film and never wanted to let his trauma get in the way of achieving his goals.

“I always said I wanted to make my burns and my scars worth it and I think I’ve done that now,” he said.

The 16-year-old (pictured) said he would never let his scars and injuries get in the way of achieving his goals

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