‘We were climbing a mountain’: How Boy Swallows Univerise teen star Felix Cameron made it to top

The child star of Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe, Felix Cameron, stole the Logies after bursting into tears during speeches for two wins, but his acting mentor says it’s sport he really loves.

The Melbourne mentor at the heart of Felix Cameron’s tearful Logies speech says the humble teenager deserves every accolade.

Felix Cameron, 15, stole the show, and a nation’s heart, after bursting into tears during speeches for two Logie wins for his role in the Netflix series, Boy Swallows Universe.

“I’d like to thank my friends, family, my brother and my sister and my mum and dad,” Felix said. “I’d like to thank my dramaturg Nadia Townsend, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

He added: “She had a saying, that we were climbing a mountain. She never clarified whether it was Everest or the Dandenongs, but I think we got there.”

Felix then burst into tears, telling the audience “I’m so sorry.”

Actor Felix Cameron with acting mentor Nadia Townsend. Picture: Supplied

A dramaturge helps shape a film by researching, editing and interpreting the script.

Ms Townsend said Felix cited the Dandenongs because he lives near Melbourne mountain range. But the task for Boy Swallows Universe was Everest-esque.

“We had to, in seven rehearsal days, get him across 120 pages of material, and figure out the emotional trigger points, how we can make them repeatable but safe, how we can create these relationships, hit marks, do the right thing, and do it in his voice,” she told the Herald Sun.

“We were climbing a mountain because we were up against it.”

Ms Townsend said she was humbled by Felix’s shout-out on Logies night.

“It was a really lovely surprise,” she said. “He’s such a champion, he’s very generous, and

he really knows who he is.”

Asked about Felix’s power as an actor, Ms Townsend said: “The quality of who you are as a person is always inherent in your art. To be so in your skin, and not in an arrogant way, and not in a deflective way, is a pretty amazing thing.

“He’s a sports kid,” she added. “His true love is cricket and footy, so he knows what it is to be in the moment, and to bring the fullness of who he is to a moment. He gives himself completely to a task.”

Felix won Logies for most popular new talent and best lead actor in a drama.

Ms Townsend is an actor and film dramaturg with more than 20 years experience.

Originally published as ‘We were climbing a mountain’: How Boy Swallows Univerise teen star Felix Cameron made it to top