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The 'double lives' of Bay of Fires' actors Ava Caryofyllis and Imi Mbedla
Ava Caryofyllis has lived a life many teenagers could only dream about.
At just 14 years old, she's worked with Hollywood superstars such as Mark Wahlberg, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Woody Harrelson.
Her Bay of Fires co-star, Imi Mbedla, has also spent his formative years in show business. He's a "triple-threat" but of a different kind: an actor, an accomplished hip-hop dancer -- and now at 18, he's studying to become a counsellor.
Juggling an entertainment career with life as a teenager has its perks, but it's not without its challenges.
Ava and Imi offer a peek inside their worlds and their respective balancing acts.
Like many child actors, Ava has one foot in the world of work and responsibility, and another in the simple magic of growing up.
She says school and learning is a non-negotiable, but classes look a little different at times.
Ava has a tutor on set who teaches her on non-shooting days, and when filming wraps, she heads back to the classroom, where she's "just Ava".
"That definitely keeps me grounded and lets me live like a double life," she says.
Her Bay of Fires on-screen sibling, Imi, relates to the juggle, and says he leads a "triple life" balancing acting, dancing and study.
"It's good for me mentally... I have gained the ability be very self-sufficient."
As their friends navigate schoolyards and sleepovers, Ava and Imi are juggling scripts, auditions, rejection and adult conversations.
When asked if they ever experience FOMO (fear of missing out) watching their peers enjoy a relatively simpler adolescence, the pair have mixed feelings.
Ava says it can be disappointing to miss birthday parties and special excursions due to acting commitments, but sees the bigger picture.
"Most of the time, [the] experience on set is way cooler ... like, I'd rather go to Thailand than a school zoo camp," she says.
"At the end of the day, I'm working towards this as a career and I mean, I can always send my friend a birthday card!"
For Imi, he's learned to surround himself with the right kind of people.
"Sometimes there'll be times where I'm missing out on events, or my friends will plan something and I'll have to miss out on that," he says.
Both Ava and Imi say acting has given them a sense of maturity beyond their years, as they explore new characters and their lessons.
Imi says playing 'Otis' on Bay of Fires taught him the importance of being there for someone: in this case, his on-screen sister 'Iris', played by Ava.
As an only child in real life, he says the role taught him about life as a big brother.
"[Otis is] always there for Iris. He's always comforting her, always a protector," Imi says.
Over two seasons, their on-screen sibling experience has developed into a strong, supportive friendship off-screen.
While on set in Tasmania filming for months at a time, Ava says Imi was the "second best thing" to having her real-life family around.
"He grew to be like my real brother … I wouldn't have been able to get through it without him," she says.
Imi also credits series star and creator Marta Dusseldorp with being somewhat of a mother figure to him while shooting the series.
"She was always there advocating for us, always making sure we were doing OK, because we did spend a lot of time away from our normal families,' he says.
As a 14-year-old, Ava relies on her parents for much of the behind-the-scenes work, such as managing her finances and social media.
"My parents put [my money] straight into the bank account so I haven't really been told what I've been earning," she says.
"When I'm older, I'll get that money so I can buy a house hopefully one day ... but right now it's just chore money that I have to deal with."
Ava says she sometimes uses her acting money for special treats, the latest being a gaming console, that she's going halves with her brother in.
"That's gonna be my working money because I don't think I can make $366 from vacuuming," she laughs.
Her parents also screen potential roles and scripts in search of any red flags.
"Sometimes some roles are a bit mature and they look through that," she says.
Imi also points out that being a young actor doesn't offer immunity against the doubts and insecurities that might affect more experienced peers.
He says he's "very critical" of himself and sees this quality as both "a gift and a curse".
Imi's growing confidence was surely bolstered by his nomination as Most Popular New Talent at the 2024 Logie Awards, a category in which Ava was also nominated.
"There was a lot of excitement. There was a lot of nervousness. And when I found out that Ava was also nominated, I was even happier," he says.
Ava shared Imi's excitement at news of the nomination, saying she "screamed so loudly I swear half of Tasmania would've heard me".
As for what's next for these two young guns? Ava takes inspiration from Margot Robbie and Millie Bobby Brown's careers.
"They're Australian and English actors that have gone and done stuff in the States and all over the world," she says.
Meanwhile, Imi is curious to see how things pan out with his three passions.
"My biggest goal and ambition is to be happy with what I'm doing and give it my all. That way I know if it doesn't work out ... I wasn't holding back anything."
Stream all episodes of the new season of Bay Of Fires on ABC iview.
