In this year’s future release of The Lost Girls, Oli Allder-Dillon will be part of the cast for his first feature film which he filmed during the pandemic. Previously, Oli has appeared in episodes of Home, Plebs and Murder in Successville, and he played the series regular role of Fizzy in the CBBC show The Sparticle Mystery over three series. As a voiceover artist, Oli voiced the roles of Huffty in Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Lumpy in the My Friends Tigger & Pooh shows, and filmed over 150 episodes of Waybuloo as Nok Tok. Oli answers our questions about filming for The Lost Girls, playing Fizzy in The Sparticle Mystery and working in voiceover.
How was the experience on set of The Lost Girls and what are you looking forward to for the release?
It was very interesting to shoot as it was filmed in the summer of 2020 and it was my first job on set during the pandemic so it was the most people I’d seen since COVID began, it took some getting used to but they made it all feel really safe. I’m looking forward to the release because, although its a small role, it’s my first feature film.
What was it like booking the role and reading the script for the first time?
I had auditioned for another role in the film about seven months before I got the call so it was quite a surprise when I did hear. It’s always exciting when you get a new script through, and dive into the world and characters.
Can you tell us about your character Mark Skinner in Home and what was it like to film?
Home was brilliantly funny and had a wonderful amount of heart behind it. I loved watching it as a fan so to have been a small part of it was an honour. Although I’m not that intimidating in real life at a staggering 5’3, I seem to get casted as the tough bully type quite often.
You filmed an episode of Plebs, what did you enjoy most about being on set?
Plebs was great fun to film, everyone in the cast is so funny, I had a great time shooting it. We filmed in Bulgaria in a studio where they’ve built a huge Roman town, it was amazing to walk around because, as soon as you stepped on set, everywhere you looked you were immersed in ancient Rome.
In 2016, you appeared in Murder in Successville, can you say about working on this project?
My role in Murder in Successville was quite possibly the hardest part I’ve ever had to play, purely because of how hilarious Tom Davis was, most of the show is improvised and I found it so hard to keep a straight face as Tom kept producing a random assortment of gifts for my character including fireworks, beers and a small wooden owl he’d whittled for me.
What are some of your favourite memories from playing Fizzy in The Sparticle Mystery for CBBC and what was the character like to play?
I adored my time playing Fizzy, as I was ten when I was first cast, and the premise of the show is that all the adults have disappeared, so the entire cast were kids and we all got on so well, I definitely made some friends for life on that one. The Sparticle Mystery was also great because we filmed the entire thing on location and, since the plot took the gang on this epic adventure across the UK, it was always exciting to find out where we’d be filming next. The writer Alison Hume’s scripts were always full of great comedic moments for Fizzy and he was a joy to bring to life. The character was great fun to play, he was a rough old school cockney gangster (or at least a child that liked to think of himself as one) and it was great to see him develop over the years and I had so much fun during my time with him.
As a voiceover artist, you voiced the role of Huffty in Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, how was this?
It’s wonderful to get to bring animated characters like Huffty to life and bring out their personality in their voice.
What was it like getting into character to play Lumpy in the My Friends Tigger & Pooh shows and what are some of your stand-out highlights from playing Lumpy?
Lumpy has a special place in my heart as it was my first ever job, I was seven at the time and learnt so much during the experience. The voice director, David Jansen, really taught me everything I know, not just for this role, but for almost my entire career, and I’m so grateful that I could take away those lessons from the role.
You were in the cast of Waybuloo voicing the role of Nok Tok, can you say about playing him?
It was amazing playing Nok Tok because in the end we’d recorded over 150 episodes which was really mind-blowing. The characters in the show have a very simple speech pattern such as “me Nok Tok” so it was a fun challenge to try and get everything across… “even when need use few word”.
Do you have a favourite aspect of working as a voiceover actor?
I love being able to give a voice to all these fantastical characters and really bring them to life, it’s so much fun getting to carve out a unique voice and personality for each of them.
Where does your love of acting and voiceover come from and how did you start?
I’ve been surrounded by it my whole life, my mum and my grandad were always involved in theatre and my other grandad, Nick Allder, works in special effects and even won an Oscar for his work on the film Alien. When I was about six, my brother and I used to go to a Saturday morning theatre group and we were putting on a production of Guys and Dolls. For some reason, they cast me as Big Julie while most of the cast were in their teens, so it was quite a bold choice. There just so happened to be an agent in the audience one night and he picked out both me and my brother to audition for his agency so we went along quite sceptical as to whether it was the right thing to do for us. He ended up asking us to join but, again, we were still unsure, the next day he called telling us there was an audition for Lumpy the Heffalump and said to just go along and see how I like it. My mum told me I probably won’t get it as they’re seeing lots of kids but we’ll just get a big slice of cake afterwards. That night, we had a call from the agent (that we still hadn’t decided to join yet) telling us that Disney wanted me to come in to the studio for a live link to LA. I read through the script and chatted away to them and I can just remember them saying “Oh gee Oli, we’d love you to be our new Heffalump”. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Do you have any favourite TV shows or films to watch?
Lots of nerd stuff, I love the Marvel films and shows so much, I find these huge interconnected narratives that they weave together while still telling very human stories spectacularly impressive. I grew up on Star Wars and just can’t get enough of that universe. Doctor Who is a favourite of mine, that strange old wanderer in a big blue box going on adventures and thwarting beautifully terrifying monsters is always wonderful journey.
How do you like to spend your free time?
See above, as well as playing a lot of video games (like, a lot), I love skiing, biking, riding my Onewheel and “long walks on the beach”, I also do a lot of 3D printing and making props from said nerd stuff (also see above).
What are you hoping 2022 brings for your career?
So far, I’ve got a small part in a film in March and obviously The Lost Girls comes out in June so I’m looking forward to the release of that. I’m excited for getting back in the room in front of casting directors, hopefully COVID allows. I’m hoping to get some nice meaty roles later in the year (preferably a Marvel or Star Wars film!).
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