Dino Fetscher – Favourite Things

Dino Fetscher is a Welsh actor best known for his roles in the television series Banana, Cucumber and Years and Years (written by Russel T Davies). He has also had roles in Gentleman Jack and played Stanley in Humans. He is currently starring in The Normal Heart at the National Theatre, a story of love, anger and activism during the 1980s AIDS crisis. The Normal Heart is on until 6 November.

These are a few of Dino Fetscher’s favourite things…

Oat Milk

A few months ago, my boyfriend started buying oat milk and I have become somewhat obsessed. It is deliciously oaty, I cannot get enough. I have it on its own, warmed up with cinnamon and honey, with protein shakes, in cereal, with porridge (all the oats) and I want to try and make oat milk ice cream with it (not that I have ever made ice cream before). I even went as far as to buy £100 of Oatly shares, I love it that much! It’s also great for our planet – which is a lovely big bonus.

Polaroids

I am currently doing a play, The Normal Heart, at the National Theatre, set in 1980’s New York City. During my research, I stumbled across a brilliant book of polaroid photographs (Fire Island Pines: Polaroids 1975 – 1983) by Tom Bianchi. The book is so utterly beautiful and heartbreakingly sad; I became totally entranced by these little square moments of life. There is something so honest about a Polaroid. You can’t edit it to perfection, you don’t have an unlimited number of attempts – the film isn’t cheap – whatever comes out is what comes out. In an age of constant editing and refining, I find them refreshing. My boyfriend bought me a Polaroid Sun 600 camera and I’ve been documenting my adventures ever since.

Fire Poi

I grew up above a pub outside of Cardiff and one summer when I was 13, I found one of the bar staff, Rachael (who had not long returned from a trip to New Zealand), spinning these odd fabric balls on chains around herself. I was transfixed. They were Poi, an age-old Maori performance art. It became my obsession and I practised every day for hours on end, until my arms and other southerner areas (inevitable miss swinging is a part of learning Poi) were sore. I eventually graduated to my very own set of fire poi and would perform with them for my friends and family regularly. There’s no feeling like it; the exhilaration of flames flying inches past your head, dancing in complicated ever-twining loops about your body is like magic. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to being an X-Man (until someone casts me in one of the films, of course, *cough, cough, hint, hint* universe).

German

I am the son of a wonderful German woman and over the last three years, I have been learning the language. My mother sadly didn’t impart her mother tongue on my brother and me when we were kids – mainly, I believe, because of her desire to fit in. It wasn’t easy being foreign in South Wales. I remember occasions where she was called a Nazi and other such derogatory slurs and feeling a level of shame around my German heritage. It wasn’t until I was much older, only a few years ago, after a trip to Berlin, where I had a real epiphany – Germany is amazing. The country, the people, the culture, the food! So many of the stereotypes are utter rubbish – some of the funniest people I’ve met have been German. It took a lot of work, and I’m by no means fluent, but now I only speak and write to my mum in German and I love it. It’s been such a gift and has brought my mum and me a lot closer together. 

Day-old Spag Bol

Yes, specifically from the day before. Where to even begin with day-old Spag Bol? If it were a religion, I’d be a monk at the temple. If it were academically study-able, I’d have a PhD in it. If I had to eat it every day for the rest of my life – I’d be fine with that. Much to many people’s dismay, I even had a bowl of it at last year’s Christmas lunch, next to the roast potatoes. Something I will endeavour to do every year from now on. Only fear of judgement has prevented me in the past, but now I am free.

Enjoyed Dino Fetscher’s favourites? Explore the full Favourite Things archive here.