Episode 3
My Little Boy Lost
Hugo Weaving shares the heartbreaking story of a mother and her son, Christopher. The mother, a devoted parent, is devastated by the death of her 22-year-old son, who succumbed to an overdose. Christopher's struggles with opioid addiction, stemming from childhood trauma and abuse by a family member, haunt her. Despite her love, she couldn't protect him from the spiraling effects of his trauma. Christopher revealed to his mother that he was molested by a now-deceased uncle, leading to a family rift when relatives refused to believe his claim. This revelation compounded his feelings of shame and confusion, contributing to his drug use. After his death, the mother faced the agonizing tasks of identifying his body, arranging for his funeral, and coping with her family's grief and anger. Amidst her ongoing trauma, she reflects on societal ignorance about abusers, emphasizing that they can exist in any social class and often hide in plain sight. She shares this story to honor Christopher, raise awareness, and break the silence surrounding abuse, hoping to prevent other families from experiencing similar pain.
Narrator: Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving - ACTOR
Hugo Wallace Weaving AO (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) and has also been recognized as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia.
Weaving landed his first major role as English cricket captain Douglas Jardine on the Australian television series Bodyline (1984). Continuing to act in Australia, he rose to prominence with his appearances in the films Proof (1991) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), winning his first AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role with the former. By the turn of the millennium, Weaving achieved international recognition through appearances in mainstream American productions. His most notable film roles include Agent Smith in the first three The Matrix films (1999–2003), Elrond in The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) trilogies, the title character in V for Vendetta (2005), and Johann Schmidt / Red Skull in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
One of the key reasons the storyteller chose Hugo to narrate "My Little Boy Lost" was Hugo's role as David Melrose in the 2018 television series "Patrick Melrose". "Patrick Melrose" (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) an affluent Englishman who has had a very troubled childhood which included sexual abuse becomes a victim of substance abuse in his adulthood as he tries to overcome his complex emotions.