Hollywood actor joins Welsh language soap opera
A Hollywood actor who has learned Welsh is set to join Welsh language serial drama Pobol y Cwm as a new character who will be arriving in Cwmderi this year.
Hans Obma is originally from Wisconsin in the USA, but later moved to live in Los Angeles.
He decided to learn Welsh after discovering that his grandmother used to live in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent before moving to America after the Second World War.
He spent the summer of 2023 learning the language on a course at Cardiff University, and after returning to America he continued to learn by taking an online course.
Hans has acted in series such as Better Call Saul, The Vampire Diaries and Narcos: Mexico and in an interview with S4C News last April he said that his ‘dream’ was to star in a Welsh-language drama.
Speaking on Heno on S4C, the actor said he was very excited to act in the village of Cwmderi.
“I had been watching the show all the time to improve my Welsh,” he said.
“And now I’m delighted to be part of the series.
“I’ve learned the language, enjoyed the culture and now I have a character of my own.
“The character is someone who has learned Welsh and comes from America, so that the viewers don’t ask ‘why does he sound like that?’ because of my accent.
“I don’t want to say much about the character because I want people to learn the character’s secrets.”
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Although he now lives in Los Angeles, Hans had made several attempts to travel back to Wales and is soon to be seen in Welsh feature Cardigan directed by Aled Owen.
During lockdown he began writing a series called The Question of Service in which the main character speaks Welsh.
The actor, who often takes on the role of a villain, can speak French, German, Spanish and Dutch fluently as well as Welsh.
He said that he often gets the chance to speak the languages he has learnt, practising and improving his linguistic skills while travelling the world.
Watch Pobol y Cwm on S4C and S4C Clic.
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