Actor Hugh Jackman has sent a message of public support to a schoolboy with dwarfism who spoke out in a heartbreaking video about being bullied.
Nine-year-old Quaden Bayles was filmed by his mother breaking down in tears as he described being picked on at school.
His mother, Yarraka, shared the video on social media, in a bid to highlight the effects of bullying.
The video subsequently went viral, with thousands of people expressing support for Quaden, who lives in Queensland, Australia.
Hugh Jackman has now sent a message to Quaden, telling the boy: "No matter what, you have a friend in me".
"Quaden, you are stronger than you know mate, and no matter what, you've got a friend in me," the Australian actor said.
"So, everyone lets please be kind to each other - bullying is not OK."
He added: "Life is hard enough, so let's remember, every person in front of us is facing some kind of battle, so let's just be kind."
Other celebrities have rallied behind the young boy.
Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, also took to social media to comment on the video.
He wrote: "The cruelty is as astonishing as it is heartbreaking."
In the original video, Yarraka describes witnessing another boy pat her son on the head and make fun of his height as she picks him up from school.
"We just went to pick him up and saw a student patting him on the head and making fun of his height... he ran to the car in hysterics because he doesn't want me to make a scene at the school", she says.
Quaden can be heard to say: "I want to kill myself."
The nine year-old is the face of Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism, a campaign group against bullying.
The NRL Indigenous All-Stars rugby team were also among those who showed support to the boy.
“Just make sure you’re thinking the right things, bud, because we want you around - we want you to lead us out on the weekend,” player Latrell Mitchell said.
Walking dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan also shared a message of support towards Quaden.
"My man, I don't know your name, I don't know your mum's name, but I saw your video" he said.
"What I want you to know is that you have friends, me included.
"You haven't met me yet, but we'll see if we can change that for one."
