U on Sunday’s Hot 19 for 2019: Finn Little

Finn Little may only be 12, but he is creating a storm in the Australian film industry.

Finn Little may only be 12, but he is creating a storm in the Australian film industry.

FINN LITTLE

12, actor

STAR FACTOR: Meet the boy who is storming the big screen in the Storm Boy remake

Currently on cinema screens in the Storm Boy remake, he not only holds his own in the titular role against actors of the calibre of Jai Courtney (playing his dad, Hideaway Tom) and Trevor Jamieson (as Fingerbone Bill), but he doesn’t allow himself to be upstaged by a trio of adorable real-life pelicans.

The Brisbane boy, who is also a champion swimmer at state level, has charmed film critics and audiences with his effortless acting style. He’s even surprised himself.

“It’s a little bit weird seeing myself on the screen. Like, you look at the character and you know it’s you, but at the same time it’s someone else. It’s weird looking at it that way,” he says when U on Sunday chats to him during our rising stars of 2019 photo shoot.

The youngest of three siblings – sister Mackenzie, 13, is also an actor, while brother Coby, 16, trod the boards for a while when he was younger – Finn has appeared in several TV commercials and short films as well as in a recurring role in the Brisbane-shot Netflix drama series Tidelands which premiered last month.

He is fresh from a national publicity tour for the film, and is keen to explore what opportunities come next – although there is a dream role he is aiming for.

“Spider-Man,” he says with a grin.
“I know it sounds weird because there’s a new one (actor Tom Holland) in the role, but I’d love to be him.”

Holland took over the part in 2016 and plays the web-spinner in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, which also features U on Sunday rising star Remy Hii. But Finn’s rather spectacular introduction to the superhero was when Andrew Garfield played him in The Amazing Spider-Man films in 2012 and 2014.

“It’s actually kind of embarrassing,” Finn says, and then breaks into a laugh,

“Mum has this video of me when I was younger. We were watching Andrew Garfield playing Spider-Man and I came out …” he makes himself laugh again, “On my head were my red underpants and I was leaping from table to table pretending to be Spider-Man. I was about 5 or something.”

Storm Boy is now showing