İlker Aksum on Playing Tahsin in ‘Valley of Hearts’ – Exclusive Interview

When you first read Valley of Hearts, what did it make you feel, and what aspects of the project impressed you the most?

İlker Aksum: First of all, this project is written by Yıldız Tunç, one of the most talented screenwriters in our country. For an actor, the most important thing, maybe even the top priority, is the script. Yıldız Tunç’s writing is filled with challenges, magical moments, and shocking endings. You can see all of these elements in this script. So, with the experience of many years, I felt right away that the story would captivate the audience. The characters too… Right now, viewers are drawn to these kinds of stories with this kind of dramaturgy. We’re at Cappadocia, a location with an incredible atmosphere. My character, too, is one I haven’t played in a long time. I can’t reveal too much at the moment for the sake of the series 🙂 but when you look at the script, the characters are so well-crafted, making it both exciting and enjoyable to read. These were the things that impressed me the most. Hopefully, the journey continues like this.

Tahsin grew up facing a lot of hardship. The things done to him and his mother fueled his desire for revenge. How would you describe Tahsin?

İlker Aksum: Predicting where Tahsin’s character will go in the first three episodes is both easy and challenging. That’s also a part of the screenwriter’s style. We’re talking about a character with limited screen time, but from the first read, I had a sense of where his story might lead. In those first three episodes, we also see that there were major issues between Tahsin and the Şansalan family in the past. But above all, Tahsin is a character from Central Anatolia; he had a tough childhood, faced numerous struggles in his youth, and managed to rise above every obstacle to make something of himself and build wealth. He shares a profound connection with the Şansalan family, though I can’t reveal the nature of that bond just yet, we’ll see it as the story progresses. Let’s see what plans Tahsin has in mind to use the strength and power he’s gained.

İlker Aksum: “Predicting where Tahsin’s character will go in the first three episodes is both easy and challenging.”

Tahsin’s main goal is to take revenge on the Şansalan family, and he’s trying to bring Nuh along with him on this journey. Valley of Hearts centers on themes like the absence of motherhood and fatherhood, family conflicts, love, struggle, and revenge, and it’s careful not to portray its characters as one-dimensional. What would you like to say about this?

İlker Aksum: This is something you can often encounter in Yıldız Tunç’s projects and novels. She thoroughly develops the characters and presents them clearly to the audience, then gradually reveals their other layers. Her style has a literary quality, so you get to see the characters’ layers unfold in a much defined way. Yes, they’re multi-dimensional, which is what it means for a character. Our screenwriter, after all, graduated from Dokuz Eylül University’s Faculty of Language and History, which I believe is the best school in Türkiye for this matter.

But I would also like to mention that TV series in Türkiye have very long episode durations. It’s nearly impossible for every single episode to be perfectly written, which is why screenwriter teams are formed, led by a head writer. Given these conditions, I believe we do the best we can, and it shows, as of today, we’re exporting our work to over 100 countries. Valley of Hearts is one of the strong scripts of the year. Its multi-layered characters and themes that will resonate with audiences on many levels.

What kind of feedbacks have you received from the audience about Tahsin?

İlker Aksum: We’re still in the early stages with Tahsin, as we’re currently airing the fourth episode while concluding this interview. In these initial episodes, we see Tahsin gradually coming into the story, but despite that, I’ve received wonderful feedback from viewers, especially from locals in Nevşehir, Ürgüp, Kayseri, and Göreme. Right now, Tahsin is a character the audience is curious about, which is exactly what our director and writer aimed for. Hopefully, as the episodes progress, both the series and the characters will give us plenty to talk about.

You are in Cappadocia for Valley of Hearts, a truly exceptional place. How is it living and working in Cappadocia?

İlker Aksum: We filmed a movie here just three months ago. It’s truly a magical place. This is our first time in Cappadocia, and my wife, Dilay, is here with me as well. As I’ve mentioned publicly before, we’re expecting a beautiful baby girl, Lila.  Experiencing this pregnancy here and knowing our daughter will be born in this unique place has made it all the more special. For the past year, I’ve been telling Dilay, “Look, Cappadocia is calling us; something’s going to happen,” and it actually did happen. We’ve been here for four months now, discovering something new every day. Both its history and geography are absolutely mesmerizing. You can see that from tourists visiting from all over the world. That shows how valuable of a place Cappadocia is. It’s not a region you can fully experience quickly. But, based on the authority my audience has given me, I think we’re here for at least two seasons. 🙂

Valley of Hearts will be introduced at MIPCOM, one of the world’s most important content markets. What would you like to say to your audience in Türkiye and around the world?

İlker Aksum: We know that Turkish series are now exported all over the world—South America, the Middle East, Asia, Europe. In the past, our audience would say, “We’re only sold to the Middle East; how important is that?” But today, our impact area is significant. For example, some of our most dedicated audiences are in Spain… Macedonia… This diversity is proof that we’re still loved and appreciated. And I say “still” because it’s up to us to maintain this. I believe we need be more attentive. To all our viewers around the world, I’d like to say: we’re genuinely one of the top three countries in the world in the TV series industry. We won’t let you down. You’ll always see talented actors, great writers, skilled directors, and high-quality production techniques.