Deep in Love follows two old rival families and their intertwined lives. You play Oruç, the doctor son of the Furtunalı family. How would you describe him?
Burak Yörük: Oruç is a compassionate doctor who was born into that chaos but tries to stay away from it as much as he can. But his love for his roots and his family keeps pulling him right back into the middle of it. He’s an honest, big-hearted, and faithful Black Sea man who wants to bring peace to his village. The fact that he ends up right in the middle of what he’s been running from makes his story feel very real. Life often works that way.
Oruç cares about being a fair and honest person. He stands up against injustice, no matter who it comes from, even if it means going against his own family and facing them. At the same time, he can be impulsive and make mistakes. These traits seem to make the audience connect with him even more. What do you think?
Burak Yörük: It’s never easy to call out what’s wrong within a tightly bound family, but Oruç somehow manages to do it. No one in life is perfect. The situations we find ourselves in can sometimes pull us to one side, even when we don’t want them to. Oruç lives right in the middle of that conflict. He’s searching for the truth in a world full of lies, often torn between his heart and his head. But his intentions are always pure. He’s a genuinely kind-hearted and emotional young man.
Burak Yörük: “There’s a saying, ‘The world is a cruel place for gentle hearts.’ That’s exactly where Oruç and Eleni stand. They’re trying to plant flowers in the middle of chaos. No matter how hard things get, they keep fighting for love and kindness.”
The scenes between Oruç and Eleni are among the audience’s favorites. Over time, Oruç has become one of Eleni’s biggest supporters, and we can see that he truly loves her. What do you think will be their biggest challenge?
Burak Yörük: There’s a saying, “The world is a cruel place for gentle hearts.” That’s exactly where Oruç and Eleni stand. They’re trying to plant flowers in the middle of chaos. No matter how hard things get, they keep fighting for love and kindness. I really love them both. They have this quiet, unspoken bond that feels very powerful, and I’m so happy the audience can feel it too. As the saying goes, “If the world is still turning, it’s because of good people.” Oruç and Eleni are the perfect example of those good people.
Your scenes with Ava Yaman have been praised for their impact. She’s still very young but already getting a lot of attention for her performance. What would you like to say about working with her?
Burak Yörük: Ava is a natural talent. I hope everything goes well for her. She’s a wonderful, kind-hearted young woman. I also started working on sets at a very young age, so I understand her very well. Whenever she needs advice, I try to be there for her. I truly believe she has a great future ahead of her.
What were your first thoughts when you read the script for Deep in Love? What moved you the most about Oruç, the overall story, and the other characters? And how did you prepare for the role?
Burak Yörük: The story moved me from the very first moment. It’s not the kind of story you come across every day, but it feels so real that you can truly believe it could happen. It’s fast-paced and full of emotion, I usually read each episode in just one sitting.
What struck me most was the conflicts Oruç goes through. The character is written with great depth. During my preparation, I spent a lot of time with my childhood friends from the Black Sea region. In some ways, Oruç and I share some traits. I could easily relate to his way of living through kindness and his belief that strength doesn’t only belong to those who do harm.
The series is filmed in Trabzon, which visually adds so much to the story. How did you find Trabzon? What does being in another city and working so closely together as a team bring to the project? What can you tell us about the set?
Burak Yörük: Trabzon is such a powerful city, its nature, its people, its food, its air… We never felt like strangers here. As a team, we’ve really become like a family. And I don’t just say that as a cliché, even during long night shoots, it feels like we’re just sitting around chatting with our cousins.
It’s also a great luck to work with Abdü, who’s been a close friend of mine for many years. But most importantly, my fiancée Tuana joins me whenever she can, and that makes me feel even more at home, because home is wherever she is.
This interview will be published in our MIP Cancun issue, and the series has already started its international journey quite strongly. In your opinion, which aspects of Deep in Love will resonate the most with audiences from different cultures around the world?
Burak Yörük: The depth of the story, its drama, its humor… Everything in it feels genuine and deeply human. No matter where you live or what language you speak, I believe everyone will find a piece of themselves in this story.
This exclusive interview with Burak Yörük was featured in Episode Magazine’s MIP Cancun 2025 issue.
