From small mining-town Southern Cross, WA-born and raised Cody Fern looks set to take Hollywood by storm after winning the Australians in Film’s sixth annual Heath Ledger Scholarship in Los Angeles.
Fern was inspired to pursue acting after seeing Ledger in the 2006 film Candy where the late WA actor played a heroin addict.
“He’s an inspiration, in particular because I come from WA where he is a legend but personally and professionally – it means the world to me to win this scholarship,” Fern said.
Twenty-five-year-old Fern remarkably only stepped on to a stage five years ago. He graduated from Curtin University with a bachelor of commerce.
Fern has since appeared in numerous plays including as Romeo in Perth’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet in 2011 before moving to Sydney and landing the coveted lead role of Albert Narracott in the Australian production of War Horse in 2012.
He has just signed with an LA agent and manager and has auditioned for a number of feature films with his “dream role” being playing opposite Meryl Streep or Daniel Day-Lewis.
His prize includes a $10,000 cash fund, a two-year scholarship at Los Angeles’ Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre and mentoring opportunities with industry professionals and the AiF.