PLEASE WELCOME QUEENSLAND ACTOR AND MODEL

CALLUM GALLAGHER

1                   Please tell us a little bit about your background;

                                          A:           Where do I start? I’ve been all over the place. I was born in Australia and I’m half English. I’ve lived in a lot of different countries, mostly because I attended several international schools. I don’t really know what to tell to be completely honest.  I’m nineteen; I’m a university student, an aspiring actor and well, that’s all there really is to me.

2               You are an actor and model.  Have you always wanted to be an entertainer or did you want to be something else when you were younger?

                      A:               Well I’ve always loved acting - I did IB Theatre Arts in my last two years of high school and I’ve made rubbish short films with friends but been in a few more professional ones. But no, I only realised that I want to make a career out of acting this year. I’m actually studying Criminology and Criminal Justice because I wanted to be a police officer, but now I definitely just want to entertain and act and do something I really have a passion for.

3                Is anyone else in your family and/or relations in entertainment?

                           A:                  No, none of my family is in entertainment and don’t really know anyone else in the field.

4                             What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

                        
  A:                   Well, in the ridiculous amount of free time I have I usually spend it playing video games, reading both comics and actual novels, writing my own scripts for things I hope never really see the light of day.  I also like to make costumes for...well...superheroes.

5                   Do you have a stage name?

                            A:                     I don’t think I’m even remotely famous enough to have a stage name.

6                   Who and/or what are your inspirations?

                            A:                    Honestly, my biggest inspiration in life is Spider-Man - Peter Parker.  Something about him and his struggles in life just makes me feel like, no matter how hard life gets and even if you feel like everything is against you, that’s when it counts that you try your absolute hardest to get whatever it is that you want.  It probably sounds pretty silly, but to me Peter Parker is one of the biggest inspirations in my life and I try to always do what I feel is right and to never give up on my dreams.

7                   Are you professionally trained in both your skills?

                           A:                    I’d probably say not. Lots of high school drama plays and a few workshops for different kinds of theatre, but I don’t think I’ve been professionally trained.

8                   Are you professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

                            A:                  Currently, I just represent myself.

9                   Have you ever been bullied?

                      A:              Yes, I have been bullied for the majority of my nineteen years.

10              Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

                           A:                      It’s hard to say. I feel like a lot of schools don’t really appreciate the impact that bullying can have on people. I’d say that most schools don’t notice bullying going on - it’s pretty easy to lie to teachers about how you feel when you’re scared of a kid in your class. I think that most governments are trying to combat bullying, but I wouldn’t say they’re doing a very good job.

11              What further do you feel the above could do to either try to decrease bullying hugely – or eliminate it altogether?

                          A:                     Obviously not everything works for everyone. For me, I still struggle with people putting me down. But I’ve come a long way since I was younger when I was being seriously bullied at school. But, I guess it would be good to try and show bullies the kinds of effects that their behaviour has on their victims - I don’t know how that would work. I think the goal should absolutely be to get rid of bullying completely.   I don’t see why everyone can’t at least respect each other enough to know when they are doing something that is really emotionally and to an extent physically harming someone.

But basically, schools need to really take the time to show the effects bullying can have on individuals, not just on the victims of bullying, but on the bullies themselves. Funnily enough I actually just written an essay on this very topic.  But it’s hard to think of a solution to such a huge problem because everyone deals with things differently.

12              On a personal level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

                     A:               Anything, I will go out of my way to help people if they need someone to talk to. If they need just a shoulder. I don’t really know what I can do on a personal level, but if there is something that I can do I will do that. I was bullied and I know how much it sucks and I wouldn’t wish that kind of abuse on anyone.

13              What advice would you give to someone who is suffering through this nightmare at the moment?

                    A:                  I know everyone says this, but it really does get better. I promise. I know what it feels like to feel like everyone is against you and that you’re alone in the fight. But you’re not. There are so many others going through, maybe not exactly the same situation, but similar enough that you can get that support. Being bullied sucks, but if you can just, be the better person, not let it get to you, talk to someone about it, I swear you’ll be okay and everything will work out just fine.

14              Have you done many media interviews?

                        A:               This is the first one for me actually.

15              What is on the agenda for the rest of 2014?

                       A:               The rest of the year… well. I’ll finish up the first year of my university course, hope I can get some acting work and get more exposure in the field and then head home to Thailand for Christmas.

16              Do you have anything further you would like to add?

                         A:             Not that I can think of.

17              Do you have a special message you would like to share with the world?

                         A:            If people tell you that you can’t do something, prove them wrong. They don’t know anything and they don’t get to dictate your life. I had loads of people in my last two years of high school telling me that I’d never accomplish anything. But I’m going to show them that I will. I will follow my dreams and I will make it. So, follow your heart and don’t ever let anything stop you.


LINKS

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