From a small mining town in Australia to the American stage, Australian-born Cody Fern has taken many routes during his pursuit to strengthen and further his acting skills. Now, Fern is the 2014 recipient of Australians in Film’s sixth annual Heath Ledger Scholarship, an award aimed at financially and professionally supporting actors of Australian descent. On Thursday night, Fern accepted the award, which also includes a $10,000 cash fund, a two year scholarship at Los Angeles’ Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre and mentorship from the father of the late actor Heath Ledger, at the fundraising dinner held at the SLS Hotel. Moving ahead, Fern said he looks forward to future roles he wants to pursue, outside passions and actors that have inspired him.
What does the scholarship mean to you?
It’s profoundly important as an actor and as an individual coming from Australia. It’s one thing to be supported in your career and another thing for your peers to embrace you and say we believe in you. It feels like a sense of belonging, and especially as an actor, you need those moments in your life that tells you to keep going and chasing this crazy dream you’ve had in your life.
Cody Fern, 25, matalo out runners-up Charlotte Best at Axle Whitehead para sa $20,000 premyo.
Western Australian actor Cody Fern was named the Australians In Film Heath Ledger Scholarship nagwagi para sa 2014 at a celebratory dinner in Los Angeles on Thursday that was hosted by musician, aktor at direktor, Tim Minchin.
Ang 25-taong gulang, best known for his role as Albert in the Australian version of the National Theatre of Great Britain production of War Horse, ay sinigurado ng $20,000 prize laban matigas kumpetisyon mula sa ibang 19 batang Australian aktor, with Australian Idol alum and Home at Away star Axle Whitehead at Charlotte Best named as runners-up.
Fern sabi na salamat sa award, siya ngayon ay magagawang upang mabilis na-subaybayan ang kanyang planong paglipat sa Los Angeles, kung saan siya ay nasa mga talakayan para sa ilang mga proyekto.
“Palagi ko na may plano na dumating sa Los Angeles; ngayon ito ay isang katotohanan at ang mangyayari ng maraming mas maaga,” Fern told Ang Hollywood Tagapagbalita. “Mayroong ilang kapana-panabik na proyekto nangyayari, ito ay naghahanap ng mga maliliwanag at ang award ay ginagawang lahat ng posibleng,” Idinagdag niya.
HE GREW up in a tiny Outback town and did not set foot on a stage until three years go.
Now, at 24, Cody Fern has been cast in the coveted lead role for the Australian run of international stage sensation War Horse.
It goes without saying that he’s thrilled to have landed a dream role, but despite his isolated upbringing, Fern’s path into it has been anything except accidental.
He has twice sold everything he owns, turned down a lucrative corporate career offer and followed his gut feeling into total uncertainty.
This year, he arrived in Sydney from Western Australia without a job, 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.