Cape Town comedian swaps maths and history for the big screen

When Cape Town comedian Dalin Oliver was offered a lead role in the latest big-screen movie Finders Keepers‚ he burst into laughter.

The former maths and history teacher‚ although a familiar face on the local comedy scene‚ had never acted a day in his life. Yet 28-year-old Oliver embraced his debut role of strip club janitor Lonnie in the movie‚ which premieres nationally on Friday at Ster Kinekor cinemas.

Finders Keepers‚ directed and produced by the well-known Maynard Kraak‚ is a comedy that stars Neels van Jaarsveld‚ Stuart Taylor‚ Siv Ngesi and Darren Amos.

It revolves around strip club janitor Lonnie who strikes up a friendship with a club patron. Together they evade gangsters and Russian mobsters‚ and try to secure the release of a kidnapped stripper.

“Maynard and I met in 2014 at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. He gave me a business card and told me to call him.”

When they met in Cape Town‚ Kraak handed Oliver a script and asked him to play one of the lead roles.

“I laughed. He didn’t. He was serious. I had no screen or acting experience‚ but he trusted me. There was no audition‚ I was handed a lead role in a movie. It was pretty scary and intimidating. Next thing you know we’re on a set and filming for six weeks in Cape Town.”

Oliver - who has featured on Comedy Central and has had sold-out shows at the National Arts Festival and Baxter Theatre - is confident South African audiences will love the socially-awkward Lonnie.

“I know South Africans will love the movie. It’s a very playful comedy.... The script is funny and is brought to life by a combination of an experienced and youthful cast.” He believes South Africans have an appetite for locally-made movies.

“We are making much more of an effort to support local these days‚” said Oliver.

He taught for two months after qualifying as a teacher at the University of Cape Town in 2013.

“It was a temporary post. Once that short stint was done‚ I packed my bags and headed straight for the stage. I didn’t want to look back a few years down the line and have any regrets about not taking the chance of following my dreams.”