HE GREW up in a tiny Outback town and did not set foot on a stage until three years go.

nei, at 24, Cody Fern has been cast in the coveted lead role for the Australian run of international stage sensation taua Horse.

E alu e aunoa ma le faapea atu o loo faagaeetiaina o ia i le ua tuta se matafaioi miti, ae ui lava i lona olaga tuputupu aʻe maotua, le ala a le Fern i ai ua se mea vagana faafuasei.

Ua ia faatau atu faalua o ia lea e ona mea uma, liliu i lalo a ofo galuega tuufaatasia faaletulafono lelei le totogi ma mulimuli i lana lagona gāʻau i mautonu atoa.

O le tausaga lenei, ia taunuu i Sydney mai Sisifo Ausetalia e aunoa ma se galuega, a home or a friend in sight to blindly pursue what he believes he was born to do: act.

“I’ve known since I was about six that I wanted to be an actor, but I grew up in a very small country town and it was just not something that was possible,” Fern says.

“I still kind of pinch myself that it’s all falling into place. It’s been an incredible ride so far.”

That small town was Southern Cross, about 400km inland from Perth, faitau aofaʻi 700. Fern’s entire school, from years 1-10, had about 80 kids. His senior boarding school, a further 90-minute drive away, was a little bigger with about 30 in his year level.

Still, not a lot of performing arts courses going on out there, so Fern took the academic route until he could make his break.

With a Bachelor of Commerce and an Honours in Strategic Marketing from Perth’s Curtin University under his belt, Fern knocked back an internship with Ernst and Young and signed on for a nine-month acting course.

His inner sat-nav was finally realigned and it felt so sweetly right.

“Ou te manao e fai ai loʻu atoa le ola ma le oo i le taimi e faia ai,” Fern says. “A o ou i uni ou maua togi lelei ma le alu i luga o e faia mamalu, ae ou te mafaufau pea, 'Ou te le i ai iinei'. Se mea na te lei lagona tonu.

“Ina ua uma sa ou filifili ai o le a mama e faavae i faaiuga ua ou faia mai i le aso nei i luma uma i le lagona ma ou te le alu i le tau lena.”

Anapogi i luma i le tolu tausaga ua tulaueleele ma Fern lana matafaioi tupuga ina ua mavae se vaitafe o masterclasses, po vasega ma faaali mai i le tala faatino ma ata pupuu i Perth ma Sydney.

Ia nei auai se ensemble o 33 actors in taua Horse, faia i luga o le matafaioi taitaia Albert Narracott, le talavou o lona solofanua pele, Joey, ua faatauina atu i le kavari i le tulai mai o le Taua Muamua a le Lalolagi.

Le tala National faletifaga o Peretania Tele ua ofo maimoa i Lonetona (tamai ata ata) ma Niu Ioka, manumalo lima Faailoga Taualoa Tony, lua Faailoga Taualoa Laurence Olivier, ma faitio Fafo fa Faailoga Taualoa Liʻo. E faaalia puppetry e Company Handspring papeti a Aferika i Saute.

O le a faia lona premiere Ausetalia, ma a lafo i le lotoifale, i le Arts Center Melepone i le Vaeluaga o le Tausaga Fou i luma o le alu i le Sydney ma Brisbane.

“When I read the script for taua Horse I was in absolute tatters. na oo mai i luga o le tamaitai i le kafe ma fesili mai ia te au pe afai ou te le afaina,” Fern says.

“moni lava tulagaese lofituina ma agai. Ou te matuai fiafia lava ma naunau e amata. Ou taumafai e tapunia aʻu ese i le tele e mafai ai mai le hype o Taua Horse ma na manatu, 'Ua lelei, I’m going to focus on the character and focus on the story and focus on what I have to do’. Everything else will rain down as heavy as it does.”