The world fell in love with James Rolleston, the young Opotiki kid who leaped onto the big screen in the title role of Taika Waititi's Boy.
Since then, his star has continued to rise along with his profile as he gained roles in Pork Pie and The Rehearsal.
But a couple of days after The Rehearsal's premiere came a serious car crash leaving him with severe injuries and he was charged with dangerous driving.
He was crushed from the waist down and suffered multiple fractures. He also had a traumatic brain injury with two bleeds and a bruise.
"I was millimetres from death. So death was knocking on my door," Rolleston says.
Damage to his frontal lobe has affected his speech, thinking, memory and skills which he's still trying to get back.
"I thought being a young teenage lad, I thought I was invincible and nothing like this would ever happen to me but I thought wrong and learnt the hard way."
The young actor was in court on Thursday, but we sat down to speak to him about the accident, his road to recovery and his biggest fear right now.
Watch the video for the full Story report.
