On Set With Van Der Merwe

We meet Drago, movie star Staffie

- Drago Fourie

South Africans are known for our ability to see the funny side of life, and for sometimes laughing at ourselves. And now the stereotypical Afrikaans character, Van Der Merwe, is coming to our movie screens, promising plenty to laugh about! Animaltalk had the opportunity to interview one of the movie’s canine actors, Staffordshire Bull Terrier Drago.

Tell us a bit about yourself. What kind of training do you like to do and do you have any onscreen experience?

My name is Drago (aka Ricardo Luke of Emperors child – I only get called that by my human when I am not a good boy), and I am four years old. I train weekly with Ian Hall, which helps me get rid of my energy, and we work on things like recall and sending me away on distance. Uncle Ian is great with agility training. I also enjoy dog dancing, and I train with Yolande Ginsberg. I love my training, since I get to do a lot of fun stuff.

My mom does a lot of training in between, and I have to do a trick for a treat when at home. The movie was my first exposure to the onscreen world.

How did you hear about the Van Der Merwe movie and that a dog was required?