Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Cliffs Of Freedom’s Jan Uddin

English actor Jan Uddin is one you definitely need to keep your eye on. Best known for his breakout role in East Enders, this exciting up-and-comer can currently be seen starring opposite Tania Raymonde in Cliffs of Freedom. The film tells the story of a Turkish Ottoman colonel (played by Jan Uddin) who falls in love with a Greek freedom fighter, Anna Christina, during the dawn of the Greek War for independence. Pop Culturalist had the chance to chat with Jan about his leading role.

PC: Tell us about Cliffs of Freedom, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jan: Cliffs of Freedom is a film that’s set in the late 1800s. It takes place right before the Greeks get independence from the Ottoman Empire, during the reign of Suleiman II. It captures the events leading to the Greek claiming their independence and their fight for it.

I play a character called Tariq, who is a rising star in the Ottoman Empire. He’s a colonel and good friend of Suleiman II. He’s very loyal. People in the palace and the royal administration have high hopes for him. He’s also taught by a Greek teacher named Thanasi, played by Christopher Plummer. He has quite an interesting understanding of things: he’s loyal to his empire and wants to see them thrive, but he also wants to see the Greeks treated more fairly. He wants to see them utilized better, in a good sense. He wants to see them use their skills and not be beaten down to the point where they resent them. He believes they can make them much more loyal if they’re good to them. That’s Tariq’s view—he wants to bring in reform and change. After he meets Anna Christina, he wants to bring more reform because he starts to fall in love with her.

PC: What is the preparation like when you’re working on a film that’s inspired by historical events?
Jan: To prepare for the role, since it’s based on historical events, I read books. I was guided by Van Ling, the writer and director, to read certain books from different perspectives to get a better understanding of the time and place. A month before we started filming, I moved to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we shot, and fully immersed myself in that world and atmosphere.

PC: How similar or different are you to your character?
Jan: The character is similar to me in many ways. I understand what it’s like to have both Christian and Muslim influences, as most people who have Muslim parents who live in the west can understand. But, unlike Tariq, I’m mixed-race. I was raised by my mom’s mom, my nan, who’s a white Christian woman, and I had my father, who is a deeply religious Muslim. I would hear things from different perspectives, so from a young age, I was always a thinker. I enjoy seeing everything as well-rounded as possible and understand how complex life is. I very much related to him. I feel like I’ve always played devil’s advocate and love having conversations with individuals to show them a side that they may not have considered; I relate to Tariq in that way. He’s a strong, morally-driven character.

PC: How did you and Tania build the dynamic between your characters and their history?
Jan: Tania Raymonde and I didn’t know each other that well while we filmed and that honestly helped. It was actually a conscious on-set decision between us. Our characters in the film don’t get to see each other that much, even though it’s a love story. You won’t find them sharing a lot of screen time together or making out heavily or having love scenes; it’s not that type of film. We wanted to keep it as real and respectable for the time. These two characters wouldn’t have behaved in that way: one, because it was so dangerous during that time, and two, because that’s not how they think or have been raised. She’s deeply Greek Orthodox and he’s Muslim. They don’t know each other well. They have a deep respect for each other, which you’ll see grow and help their love grow. As soon as we finished filming, we became best of friends. We’re like family. We’re very, very close. During that time, there was a sense of mystique, which helped with what you see on screen.

PC: Your character is caught between proving his loyalties while protecting Anna. How did you approach this struggle?
Jan: It’s something that I deeply internalized. As I said, in small and large ways, I’ve had to do that in life. I had to protect certain aspects of myself, my thoughts, my beliefs, while preserving the integrity of the other side of me. Everyone can relate to that because life is complex. In that sense, I was able to make myself feel a lot for her while caring for my brother and his aspirations for me and still wanting the empire to be strong. In the end, Anna Christina becomes more important to me, because for a second, I lose some hope that things are going to change for the better. I can see things rapidly getting worse, so she becomes my number one priority.

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Jan: I hope audiences take away a beautiful experience. The film is very old-fashion and cinematic—it’s like watching an old epic film. It’s also a part of history that hasn’t been dealt with before in mainstream cinema, which is quite special. Even I didn’t know much about this time period. You’ll leave with a better understanding of that time and place. It’s not the type of film that’s made very often. You’ll definitely leave with a rich experience.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jan: I like really, really bad English ones. I’m trying to think of some American ones that you’ll get. I love Alaskan Bush People on the Discovery Channel.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jan: I like films from the ’80s like Top Gun, The Lost Boys, and those cheesy high school films like The Breakfast Club. These aren’t really guilty pleasures because they’re great films.

PC: Favorite book?
Jan: Lord of the Rings. If I’m honest it’d be C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity but that’s not a novel.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jan: The Sound of Music because Charlie Plummer was in it.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jan: Girls Aloud. They’re a pop English girl group and they’re the best thing ever. You have to check them out.

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Jan: There are a lot of them: Vikings, Power, and Kingdom.

PC: Hidden talent?
Jan: I’m a trained masseur and a good cook.

To keep up with Jan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Cliffs of Freedom in theaters now.