A teenager left with burns across 38% of his body after a horrific car fire is now chasing his acting dream alongside Hollywood stars.
Spencer Connelly and his older brother Fletcher Connelly suffered devastating injuries in a shocking arson attack.
Their father set off two gas cylinders inside the family car while the boys and he himself were inside.
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He is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for attempted murder-suicide.
Spencer, now 18, was just five years old when the vehicle burst into flames, leaving him with burns over more than a third of his body, in Tasmania, Australia.
He still requires surgery every few years as part of his recovery.
But despite the trauma, Spencer has gone on to walk the red carpet alongside stars including Chris Hemsworth after landing a role in the latest instalment of the Mad Max saga.
The teen originally auditioned as an extra but director George Miller was so impressed he handed him a speaking role instead.
Now Spencer is opening up about surviving the attack and learning to forgive his father.
“I can’t remember the fire at all,” he told Need To Know.
“I remember being in a car with my brother.
“Apparently the car went up in flames.
“I remember just getting out and then running around, and then dropping to the ground and seeing that my brother’s face was different.”
Spencer revealed his brother suffered burns to 28% of his body during the fire, which happened in 2012.
He said: “I have had many surgeries, so many I have lost count.
“Initially I had skin grafts done.
“Because I was so young and have grown a lot since the initial skin grafts, I have needed to have ongoing treatment and surgeries.”
He is now undergoing treatment for prosthetic ears.
But despite everything he has endured, Spencer says he has learned to stay positive.
He said: “I now try to be as positive as I can.
“I’ve coped with the trauma with jokes and with all the people around me, especially my family, turning anything negative into a positive.”
The teenager admitted he no longer feels anger towards his father but still has unanswered questions.
He said: “I’ll always say that I’m not angry anymore.
“I have no anger.
“But I probably don’t want to see my father now.
“If I did see him I’d ask him why and what was going through his head at the time.”
Spencer also revealed he still struggles with a fear of fire.
He said: “Sometimes, whether it’s a campfire, or an open fire I feel the heat it kind of just freaks me out.”
But acting has helped him embrace his scars and rebuild his confidence.
He said: “I’ve really put a lot of work into proving that scars are a sign of positivity.”
Spencer credits his mum, family and friends for helping him through the darkest moments.
He said: “My mother is my biggest role model.
“She has always been there for me whether it’s the hard times, the good times, whether I’m in having surgery or whether I’m on a set of a movie.
“The scars don’t change anything.
“I’m still a normal regular human being that can do just as much as anybody else.”
Looking back, Spencer says he would tell his younger self not to give up hope.
He added: “I would tell him that he is going to get out of hospital and he is going to look better and go to school.
“He is going to make friends and all these things are going to happen within a decade.
“I keep being positive, keep being strong, and I try new experiences and work really hard.”
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