# Joe Bird (actor)
**Joe Bird** (born 2007) is an Australian actor known for his roles as Riley in the possession horror film *[Talk to Me](https://www.edgepedia.org/talk-to-me-2022-film)* (2022) and as the lead, Naim, in the supernatural drama *[Leviticus](https://www.edgepedia.org/leviticus-film)* (2026).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921) He was born in England and raised in Adelaide, South Australia.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2007, in England; raised in Adelaide, South Australia[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921) • [2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/) |
| Breakout role | Riley in *Talk to Me* (2022), directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, released by A24[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird) |
| Lead roles | Naim in *Leviticus* (2026) and the lead in the short film *The Worm*, both premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird) |
| Other work | Frank in *Wolfram*, directed by Warwick Thornton, premiering in Berlinale 2026 competition[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird) |
| Television | Kevin in *First Day* (ABC), Aiden in *Rabbit*[4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/joe-bird/) |
| Recognition | AACTA Young Stars Award, 2025[5](https://fametown.com/fams/joe-bird/) |
## Early life
Bird was born in England in 2007. Sources disagree on the city: a profile in *A Shot* magazine says he was born in Leeds, while TV Insider, Spinn Radio, and NetflixMovies list Liverpool.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joe-bird/) • [7](https://spinnradio.com/actor/3047804) His family moved to Adelaide when he was a toddler. By age six he was asking his parents for acting classes, which he received as a ninth birthday gift and pursued until he was sixteen.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/)
## Talk to Me
Bird's international breakthrough came as Riley in *Talk to Me*, the debut feature of the YouTube-famous Australian brothers [Danny and Michael Philippou](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-and-michael-philippou), a possession horror film that premiered at Sundance and was released by A24.[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird) • [8](https://www.screenuk.org/profile/joe-bird/) He was 14 years old when he played the part, a teenager who plays with a haunted embalmed hand and ends up in critical care; *AnOther* describes the performance as involving simulated injuries including a cracked skull.[9](https://origin.anothermag.com/design-living/17432/another-performance-joe-bird-interview-leviticus) • [10](https://theplaylist.net/joe-bird-leviticus-adrian-chiarella-interview-20260618/) The film was a critical and box office hit for A24 in 2022.[10](https://theplaylist.net/joe-bird-leviticus-adrian-chiarella-interview-20260618/)
Earlier screen work includes the feature *Rabbit*, directed by Luke Shanahan, in which he played Aiden, and the ABC television series *First Day*, directed by Julie Kalceff, in which he played Kevin across four episodes.[4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/joe-bird/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921) His short film credits include *Treasure* (Eddy), *The Year Without Summer* (Moss, 2024), and *Charlie's Story* (Charlie).[4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/joe-bird/)
## Leviticus
In *Leviticus*, Bird plays Naim, a gay teenager in a strict church community who, along with his classmate Ryan ([Stacy Clausen](https://www.edgepedia.org/stacy-clausen)), is subjected to a conversion therapy ritual that curses each boy with a demon appearing as the person he desires most.[9](https://origin.anothermag.com/design-living/17432/another-performance-joe-bird-interview-leviticus) The film is directed by [Adrian Chiarella](https://www.edgepedia.org/adrian-chiarella) in his feature debut, produced by Causeway Films (the Adelaide company behind *The Babadook* and *Talk to Me*), acquired by NEON, and co-stars [Mia Wasikowska](https://www.edgepedia.org/mia-wasikowska) as Naim's mother Arlene.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/) • [9](https://origin.anothermag.com/design-living/17432/another-performance-joe-bird-interview-leviticus) Bird has described the demon as a metaphor for homophobia that people choose to look away from, and he drew on his own experience at a Catholic high school where homophobia was quietly prevalent.[9](https://origin.anothermag.com/design-living/17432/another-performance-joe-bird-interview-leviticus) • [2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/)
During pre-production, Chiarella sent Bird and Clausen into an escape room together so they would be scared around each other and could build vulnerability and trust on screen.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/) *Leviticus* premiered at the 2026 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival), screened at [South by Southwest](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-by-southwest) and in Sydney, and reached United States theaters about six months after its Sundance debut.[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird) • [10](https://theplaylist.net/joe-bird-leviticus-adrian-chiarella-interview-20260618/)
## Recent and upcoming work
Bird stars as the lead in the short film *The Worm* (Kieren), which also premiered at Sundance 2026, and appears as Frank in *Wolfram*, directed by Warwick Thornton, premiering in Berlinale 2026 competition; IMDb dates *Wolfram* to 2025.[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921) He is cast as Jock in *Crashout*, an Australian thriller written and directed by Nick Annas, produced by Deadhouse Films, and co-starring [Catherine Laga'aia](https://www.edgepedia.org/catherine-lagaaia); the film follows three high school graduates stranded on a highway after causing an accident who forge a found-footage film to hide their crime.[11](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/english/news/2026/Mar/12/joe-bird-joins-catherine-lagaaia-in-crashout) IMDb also lists him as Jed in the short *Burnout* (filming) and as Cole in the short *Despite the Night* (2026).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921)
Beyond acting, Bird is credited as an executive producer on the short *Will She Say Yes?*, in post-production, and TV Insider lists producer and writer credits on the 2026 film *Abandoned*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joe-bird/) He received the AACTA Young Stars Award in 2025.[5](https://fametown.com/fams/joe-bird/)
## Approach to acting
Bird has described acting and music as closely connected forms of storytelling and makes playlists for his characters, listening to them during production.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/) He cites Mikey Madison's performance in *Anora* as an inspiration for playing Naim, particularly her portrayal of a character keeping a subconscious guard up, and names [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/philip-seymour-hoffman) as the actor he most admires for bringing humanity to flawed characters.[2](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/) • [9](https://origin.anothermag.com/design-living/17432/another-performance-joe-bird-interview-leviticus) The AACTA Festival profile describes his work as centered on emotionally driven, character-led stories and complex, interior characters.[3](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird)
## References
1. [Joe Bird, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12480921)
2. [The Soul and the Shadows of Joe Bird, A Shot Magazine](https://ashotmagazine.com/the-soul-and-the-shadows-of-joe-bird/)
3. [Joe Bird, AACTA Festival speaker profile](https://www.aactafestival.com/speaker/joe-bird)
4. [Joe Bird, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/joe-bird/)
5. [Joe Bird, Fametown](https://fametown.com/fams/joe-bird/)
6. [Joe Bird, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joe-bird/)
7. [Joe Bird, Spinn Radio](https://spinnradio.com/actor/3047804)
8. [Joe Bird, ScreenUK](https://www.screenuk.org/profile/joe-bird/)
9. [AnOther Performance: Joe Bird, AnOther](https://origin.anothermag.com/design-living/17432/another-performance-joe-bird-interview-leviticus)
10. [Joe Bird On How 'Leviticus' Director Adrian Chiarella Fostered A "Vulnerable" Bond Between His Two Leads, The Playlist](https://theplaylist.net/joe-bird-leviticus-adrian-chiarella-interview-20260618/)
11. [Joe Bird joins Catherine Laga'aia in Crashout, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/english/news/2026/Mar/12/joe-bird-joins-catherine-lagaaia-in-crashout)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 2001 to 2010 › Performers born 2006 to 2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license