Just four years after taking up acting, a Whitechapel actor is rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars in a new film.
Frankie Oatway has been cast as taxi driver John in A Hundred Streets, which explores the relationship between four people living in one square mile of south west London.
He will be sharing the bill with former Bond girl Gemma Arterton and Golden Globe winner Idris Elba, who play an estranged couple.
“I seem to get cast in the Cockney hard man role quite a bit,” admitted Frankie, who only got into the business by chance.
“I was in Australia when I got talking to a casting agent in a pub,” he said. “He said I should audition for his film and I got the role.
“I was a builder for 20 years before this, so it’s a bit of a change in direction.”
Despite being a relative newcomer to the acting world, Frankie isn’t short of success.
His portrayal of the title character in short film The Ref saw him nominated for a Welsh Bafta award.
He can also be seen in National Geographic show Strippers: Cars for Cash which sees two teams break cars and see who can make the most money from selling the parts.
With filming currently taking place on A Hundred Streets, Frankie will be gracing the big screen soon.
“I’ve got a good scene with one of the main characters,” said Frankie. “It’s not a big role, but it’s a good one.”
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