Mark Bale Joins "LIFE COACH"

Personal Trainer to Play 'Eli' in Upcoming Short Film

Personal trainer Mark Bale cast as 'Eli' in LIFE COACH © Presidential Productions

Presidential Productions has confirmed Mark Bale in the lead role of Eli for upcoming short film Life Coach, with pre-production now underway in Sydney. The film marks Bale’s first major screen role, introducing a performer whose physical presence and lived experience are integral to the project’s creative vision.

A professional personal trainer and amateur Muay Thai competitor from rural New South Wales, Bale brings an authenticity that aligns closely with Eli’s character. His background informed the writing process, shaping a protagonist whose discipline and physical capability exist in tension with deep-seated insecurity and self-doubt.

Life Coach writer/director, James Cunningham, has described Bale’s casting as essential to grounding the film’s psychological intensity in physical truth rather than dialogue. "I have been wanting to work with Bale for a number of years," said Cunningham, "and, I am thrilled to be finally working with such a dedicated, confident and skilled individual on a project such as this."

Because Life Coach unfolds almost entirely without spoken words, Bale’s performance relies on restraint, expression, posture and routine. Everyday actions — training, cleaning, grooming — become expressive beats that mirror the escalating emotional stakes of the text exchanges. Pre-production will place a strong emphasis on rehearsal, with Cunningham and Bale connecting frequently via video calls to ensure the film’s stillness and repetition feel lived-in and authentic, rather than staged or performative.

The production has been deliberately designed as a minimalist chamber piece, filmed entirely within a single loft apartment location in inner-city Sydney. This constraint reinforces Eli’s isolation while allowing the on-screen text messages to dominate the narrative space. Production design emphasises neutrality and domestic mundanity; muted tones, industrial textures, and uncluttered environments that become increasingly exposed as Eli’s emotional defences erode.

With a small, focused creative team and a clear artistic mandate, Life Coach is entering production as a rigorously prepared work, designed to balance formal control with emotional risk. The result promises a debut screen performance from Bale that is both physically exposed and psychologically precise.

Life Coach is currently in pre-production.

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