Holden Sheppard Unveils Joseph Zada Discovery Secrets

Australian author Holden Sheppard has revealed the surprising way he knew the actor cast in his Invisible Boys TV series was Hollywood material – long before the rest of the world caught on.

The 38–year–old writer, whose 2019 coming-of-age novel Invisible Boys was last year turned into a hit Australian miniseries, exclusively told Daily Mail that he knew from the moment they met that lead actor Joseph Zada was destined for Hollywood.

'It is really funny, I wasn't meant to meet Joseph Zada that day, I was off to meet the producer for a coffee. I was in my hometown and there was this blue-haired boy in the bakery... I looked and went "that has to be the actor who is playing Charlie",' he said.

Holden said the encounter was instant recognition – the kind of casting moment that feels almost cinematic.

'I walked up to him and said, "Excuse me, I think you may be one of the boys on my TV show!" He then goes, "Are you Holden?". It was really cool to see him, he brought the show to life. So proud that he has gone and cracked the US,' he said. 

In April last year, Joseph, 21, landed a major Hollywood breakthrough when he was cast in the upcoming The Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, set almost 30 years before the original movie.

The role came after he reportedly beat out hundreds of other actors auditioning for the part,Woody Harrelson's character.

For Sheppard, seeing the final cast of Invisible Boys come together was a surreal moment in its own right, especially with established Australian names attached.

The Western Australian-born writer said he was particularly starstruck to see veteran actors David Lyons and Pia Miranda join the project.

'Pia Miranda! Oh my God, my mother is Italian and her movie Looking for Alibrandi was such a touchstone for us. Having Pia cast in this was just so cool,' he said.

Looking ahead, Holden has already expanded the Invisible Boys universe, revealing he has written a newly released sequel titled Yeah the Boys, which continues the story several years on.

He described it as a darker, more adult evolution of the original story.

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He finished by saying he couldn't wait for his second novel to also be adapted for the screen – adding that it would stand as its own story rather than a direct sequel series.