Lee Tiger Halley is one to watch

LEE TIGER HALLEY has just stepped out of a pool, on the set of Beast of War. Part World War II film, part thriller, it follows a group of Australian soldiers who are stalked by a great white after their boat is hit by a Japanese fighter jet while sailing across the Timor Sea. Sound bonkers? It is. And it won’t just be scary to watch – according to Halley, it’s been pretty frightening to film. 

“They built an actual shark. And it looks absolutely amazing. Like, it’s so realistic and so great, but it’s actually really scary,” laughs the young actor from Fremantle, who plays a young soldier named Teddy in the film. “It just feels like you’re in the water with a shark. We had a bit of training with these army guys beforehand, in the water and stuff, but it doesn’t prepare you at all for what happens when you’re seeing that thing.” 

Facing off against a fake (but shockingly realistic) megalodon in a combat kit feels like a world away from the sprawling suburban set of Boy Swallows Universe, Halley’s biggest project to date. In the hit Netflix series, which absolutely cleaned up at the 2024 Logies, he plays Gus Bell, the older brother of main character Eli (played by Felix Cameron, who just won the Logie for Best Actor). For the first half of the series – as in the book it was based off – Gus is non-verbal, communicating instead by writing messages with his pointer finger in thin air. Eventually, when a terrifying drug dealer threatens to cut Eli’s finger off, Gus breaks his silence. 

“I’d never gone that long in my life without speaking,” says Halley. “But it was actually one of the most interesting things I’ve done in my life. It’s funny when you don’t speak for a long time, I felt like I was observing people all the time and just seeing what other people do. You learn a lot. You pick up things and you feel like you can read people in a way.” 

With a cast of very experienced actors – Simon Baker, Travis Fimmel, Bryan Brown, Phoebe Tonkin and even Adam Briggs – Halley was able to soak up plenty of pointers. “The character Simon Baker played was a lot different to the beautiful, charming men he usually plays. He was playing a drunk, and I remember he’d go into this room before we did a take, and he’d do this thing with his arms and his body where he’d sort of have a little alcoholic fit. That’s what he did to warm up into his character,” says Halley. “And then Travis, he was never stuck to the script. He always had a way of improvising lines, but in a natural way. Like, you know, he’d say funny things or little catch phrases or slang that were really Australian. I remember there was a scene where we were in the car and he was like, ‘I need to be holding something . . .’ He’s like, ‘I need a sausage roll.’” Halley laughs. “So they got him a sausage roll.” 

Halley was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Logie, a category that was dominated by Boy Swallows Universe alumni – Fimmel and Brown were also nominated, with Brown taking home the honour. “It feels like it’s a win in itself, just being nominated,” says the young actor. “To be up against those people, it’s crazy.” On the night, he wore a dapper black suit and tie by Boss. “I felt like a million bucks . . . so swag. Yeah, you look at yourself in the mirror and you’re like, hell yeah.”

Halley began acting in high school; apparently, a particularly animated performance he gave at a rock ‘n’ roll school assembly prompted his mum to enrol him in acting classes. It’s fitting, then, that next up, he’s due to play rock music icon Bon Scott of ACDC, in the upcoming biopic The Kid from Harvest Road. 

“It’s a massive character. I mean, he’s an icon, especially where I’m from in Perth. The school I went to is actually the same school he went to. So growing up around Fremantle and at that school . . . he’s a legend. So it’s massive shoes to fill, but also just a massive, massive opportunity. And I’m very excited to get into it.” 

Just like he did at that school assembly, Halley will give it his all. And with such an impressive variety of roles under his belt at 18, there’s no question about it: Lee Tiger Halley is just getting started.