Hollywood actor Hans Obma is to join the cast of Welsh soap Pobl y Cwm after learning the language.
Hollywood actor Hans Obma is to join the cast of Welsh soap Pobl y Cwm after learning the language.
Better Call Saul actor Hans Obma joins Pobl y Cwm after learning Welsh
Better Call Saul actor Hans Obma says Wales has "always been meaningful" to him.
"A Hollywood actor is to join the cast of Welsh soap Pobl y Cwm after learning the language.
Hans Obma has worked on several well-known series including Better Call Saul, The Vampire Diaries, and Criminal Minds, but his most recent venture is across the pond in the fictional village of Cwmderi, based in south-west Wales.
Inspired by his Welsh grandmother, Obma, from Wisconsin, USA, says Wales has become his "second home" while filming for the 51-year-old S4C soap.
"It's been quite a journey," said Obma, adding his grandmother was "such a cherished person" and because of that, Wales and the Welsh language has always been meaningful to him.
His grandmother was originally from Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, said Obma but never spoke Welsh herself, and moved to the US after World War Two.
"I had the honour of visiting Wales with her some years ago and her Welsh accent came straight back to her," he said.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, he added: "For me, the fact of learning a language and then using a language is exhilarating, there is nothing I've enjoyed as much as this."
"I need to be on the top of my game acting in Welsh," he added."