General News
21 February, 2025
Local twins bound for the big screen
The cameras were already rolling on local twin brothers when they found out they’d have roles in the upcoming film Inside.
The pair’s realisation was captured on family video. Raif Weaver learned he’d be starring as the childhood version of the lead and Zaiv Weaver found out he’d play the body double and another small role.
“We were jumping up and down, started crying happy tears and all that,” Zaiv said.
Inside, an upcoming Australian feature film, is about physical and metaphorical prisons. It follows Mel Blight (Vincent Miller) as he’s transferred from juvenile to adult prison. He is taken under the wing of Mark Shepard (Cosmo Jarvis), and Warren Murfett (Guy Pearce) as a paternal triangle forms that becomes their undoing.
From their mum, Deanne Evans, seeing the casting call on Facebook through to arriving on their first set, the boys steps to the big screen were rapid, the pair’s dad Nick Weaver said.
“We couldn’t believe how quickly it turned around. It was in a matter of days we were heading down to Melbourne, walking up into the office where it was,” he said.
Raif’s at home try-not-to-laugh competition skills became oddly useful in the movie world. From that first office trip to on set, being able to keep a straight face was critical.
“I actually have a trick of keeping a straight face. I bite the insides of my mouth and I just focus on the pain so I don’t smile. It’s really weird,” he said.
Inside’s director, Charles Williams, said there was more to Raif’s casting than being able to keep a straight face. Instead he agrees with Nick, Raif was a natural.
“He didn’t just look like Vincent Miller, who’s the actor who plays the older version, you could make a movie just around Raif. He’s also just incredibly compelling on screen. You just watch him and he’s the kind of kid you could just cast,” he said.
From the beginning it was clear to Charles that Raif would hold the audiences attention, that he was someone you could read an emotional depth into.
“When you’re casting for a role like this you’re not necessarily casting for this huge acting range. What you’re really look for is a kid who, once you see them on screen, you’re innately compelled to be curious about,” he said.
“That there’s something behind their eyes, almost a maturity, you just want to know what’s going on with them, you’re curious about them, and they’ve just got this innate mixture of innocence and maturity. Raif just had that. There’s something about him in his face and in his presence that translates well on screen.”
But that’s not to say either knew what to expect when they went to their first set. Even Nick was taken aback by the run-down house in Melbourne.
“We actually walked in there and Raif said to me ‘oh my god Dad somebody has been living in here’ and the assistant producer said ‘no Raif, this is where you’ve been living, this is all props’,” he said.
While Raif has the most screen time Charles said having Zaiv on set made shooting run more smoothly. Laws surrounding kids on movie sets, the hours they can work and the number of breaks, meant they could switch Raif out for Zaiv when needed.
“The major advantage of having Zaiv as well is that you could shoot very small bits where you didn’t need to see Raif’s face with Zaiv. It was really just about the efficiency of being able to run a normal shoot day with younger kids without tiring them out,” he said.
Although Zaiv mainly did close up shots of things like bruises on his side, or getting a cast like his brother for a close up shot, he is more keen to pursue acting than Raif.
“Not only was it well paid it was pretty fun just on its own. Meeting everyone and being able to be on the big screen,” he said.
For Raif he’s content waiting to see what the future holds.
“It’s not that I don’t want to it’s more I just want to go along with this experience and just see what happens and what’s to come, see if I enjoy it a bit more,” he said.
Inside’s official release date is Thursday, February 27 with Maryborough’s first showing at Paramount Theatre on Friday, February 28 at 6.30 pm.