McAuliffe began acting at age eight, appearing in the Australian television series
Comedy Inc. and
Blue Water High. He then had a recurring role on
Packed to the Rafters. He also starred in the Australian independent
coming-of-age short film "Franswa Sharl" in 2009, and also had a role in
Resistance (2009). In May 2010, McAuliffe was cast in a lead role in the science fiction film
I Am Number Four based on the novel of the same title by
Pittacus Lore, the film is produced by
Steven Spielberg and
Michael Bay. He played Sam, the best friend of
Alex Pettyfer's title character. He then appeared in the Australian miniseries
Cloudstreet, based on the
novel of the same title by
Tim Winton, playing young Quick Lamb. McAuliffe was cast as the archangel
Uriel alongside
Djimon Hounsou in
Alex Proyas' action film,
Paradise Lost, before the project was suspended. In 2012, he starred in the Australian television film
Underground: The Julian Assange Story, as one of the teenage Assange's friends involved in the International Subversives. On 3 February 2013, it was announced that McAuliffe would star alongside
Samuel L. Jackson and
India Eisley in the
live-action film remake of the 1998 Japanese anime
Kite. In 2015, McAuliffe joined the cast of
The Legend of Ben Hall, an Australian historical epic based on the true story of bushranger
Ben Hall, where he portrays real-life gang member Daniel Ryan. In 2018, McAuliffe released his first novel,
The Hill Ghost. ==Other activities==