REMEMBER that old health insurance commercial where the young kid said, “Crocodile came up, bit my guts out and bit me into parts ... pieces and then my legs went that way and then my head went that way”?
Of course you do, it’s a classic.
Here at news.com.au we thought we’d track down that little legend to find out what he’s up to now.
Alex Breden was just three and a half years old when he starred in that iconic commercial, but he still remembers it well.
“There was an ad in the newspaper which my Grandma saw,” said Breden, who is now 19 years old.
“Over 1,000 other kids applied for it but I was one of the lucky ones that got chosen. It was shot in St Kilda on the back porch of some lady’s house and they said to me, ‘just make up a story,’ and that’s exactly what happened.”
The commercial was a hit and Breden’s crocodile cameo was easily the most quotable line.
“My Grandma got really upset when they did an episode of 20 to 1 on the best Aussie ads of all-time and mine wasn’t in there,” said Breden. “She called Channel 9 to complain.”
The commercial kickstarted the youngster’s acting career and he went on to appear in a 2001 movie called Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes as well as appearances on several TV shows, including Rove and The Russell Gilbert Show.
But life changed for Breden when his mum passed away from a brain aneurysm when he was just 11 years old.
“Everything went downhill from there,” he said.
“I dropped out of school and stayed at home and did nothing.”
It took him more than five years to recover and get his life back on track.
“Just before I turned 17 I joined the gym and that basically saved me,” said Breden.
“I went back and did Year 12 and now I’m studying to become a fitness instructor. That’s basically what I want to do with my life, help others as much as I can.”
Good on you Alex.
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