Callan McAuliffe shot by Fabien Kruszelnicki for HERO 11: Shift Zero

19-year-old Callan McAuliffe hasn’t been in the industry long, citing a teen cash-flow issue as the reason for his dive into acting in the first place. “I needed money to buy a dog and wanted to make my own pocket money so entered a talent agency,” explains the Australian actor in Issue 11.

His career highlights since then may include working with the likes of Leonardo DeCaprio and Baz Luhrmann in The Great Gatsby (McAuliffe played the boy Leo/Jay Gatsby) but when asked to pick a film for our actor-recommends series, McAuliffe opts straight for Wes Anderson. Perhaps it’s not that surprising: after all, Anderson and Luhrmann both share a penchant for eye-popping visuals and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cuts.

On that note, if you’re yet to watch Callan’s pick we’d suggest downing an espresso beforehand. There’s nothing worse than a decontextualised Bill Murray cameo.

Callan McAuliffe on The Grand Budapest Hotel

“It’s hilarious, indescribably fancy and has an absolutely gorgeous (darling) paper cutout aesthetic throughout,” McAuliffe quips. “Most people are familiar with Wes Anderson’s style of direction: fast paced, clever dialogues and swift cuts. My favourite film of his is Fantastic Mr Fox, yet despite the fact that that film is entirely animated, the pace and atmosphere are strikingly similar to The Grand Budapest Hotel, and make it easily recognisable as a Wes Anderson film.

The acting is outstanding, each performer somehow managing to make the outrageous dialogue feel natural – a perfect example being Ralph Fiennes’ masterfully comedic performance. On top of this, the cinematography is beautiful, and nearly every shot is an eye-widener. If you haven’t already, go and watch it!”