Max Irons and Samantha Barks Discuss Bringing Little-Known Soviet Famine to Life in ‘Bitter Harvest’

Sandra Miska

A dark chapter in twentieth-century European history that few people are aware of is examined in the historical drama, “Bitter Harvest.” British actors Max Irons and Samantha Barks star as Yuri and Natalka, two young lovers in 1930s Ukraine whose happiness and life together is interrupted when Soviet leader Joseph Stalin imposes a famine on their country that came to be known as the Holodomor. This horrific event, which resulted in the death of millions, wasn’t made known until after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Irons and Barks both recently spoke to Entertainment Voice about the making of “Bitter Harvest.” Before the script made its way to each of them, neither actors, like so many others, were very familiar with the Holodomor.

“I discovered the extent of what happened in Ukraine. That 2.5 to 7.5 million people over the course of two years – that’s the estimated number – nobody quite knows exactly and nobody knows about it,” said Irons. “If you had asked me, “Do you have a fairly good grasp of European twentieth-century history?” I would have said, “Yeah, of course.” But the second largest country in Europe had gone through this terrible, terrible course of events and it had been hushed up by the former Soviet Union. That’s shocking. We all know what happened in Germany, we all know what happened in South Africa. But this has just been such a well-kept secret.”

Barks was similarly horrified to learn about the Holodomor and the extent of the devastation caused by it. “I felt horrendous for not knowing about it. I asked around and most people I spoke to also hadn’t heard of it. When diving into the script, it becomes apparent that was a very strategic move that we hadn’t heard of it. I think that that was the instant draw to the script,” said Barks. The character of Natalka, a young woman from a rural area who discovers her inner strength amidst the horrors of the Holodomor, was also a major draw for Barks, who found bringing her to life to be a welcome challenge.

“She goes through extreme highs and even more extreme lows. The things that Natalka goes through are things that people did go through at that time. We heard stories from people whose parents and grandparents had been through and have told the stories. It’s all very heartbreaking, which drew me to the role,” said Barks. Before filming, Irons conducted his own personal research, but it was the experience of shooting in Ukraine and talking to the descendants of the survivors of the famine that added authenticity to the experience that helped with his performance.

“You could kind of speak to people that have been directly affected by this. And I think that was invaluable. The consequences of what happened in ’32-’33 can be felt today,” said Irons. Barks agreed that filming in Ukraine with a largely Ukrainian crew brought an authenticity to “A Bitter Harvest, as did the man in the director’s chair.

“Our director George Mendeluk is so passionate about Ukrainian history. He’s from the Ukraine. To have that was a real lucky thing, because there was no guessing at all. He gave us all the right research and pointed to some great articles. Yeah, you’re lucky when you have someone so passionate about the subject matter driving the ship,” said Barks.

Irons and Barks had a chemistry together that really came through onscreen- something that can sometimes be elusive. “Chemistry’s a funny thing. It’s so hard to see from our perspective. It’s quite uncontrollable, to be honest with you. Samantha’s lovely. She’s a very kind, giving actress. We met a half a day before we started shooting some of the hardest scenes that we had, but she made it easier from day one,” said Irons.

When Irons’ character is first introduced, he is a quiet artist who yearns for a simple life with his wife, but circumstances necessitate that he follow in the footsteps of his warrior grandfather to protect what’s near and dear to him. Irons spoke about getting into character to play Yuri the Fighter, even though scenes were shot out of sequence.

“I think that first day I was playing Yuri in the early parts of the film, and then the very next day, you got the beard, you got the guns, you got all of that,” said Irons. “I’m nervous to say that it was fun, but there were elements that were fun. For me, it made it a lot easier actually being in a historically accurate location. Usually, you film these things in studios that are hot and sweaty and gross. To be on the side of a valley in Ukraine in the snow in the middle of the night with Ukrainian speakers and actors around you- it just adds so much and takes the pressure off.”

Barks’ Natalka heads down a similar trajectory as her husband. “Because the scenes are so emotionally intense and dark, a lot of them, you have to take everything by scene,” said Barks.  “You have to be very in tune with where you’ve just come from and where you’re going to in the last and the next scene. You have to be fully in the moment for each scene, because they require your full self, mind, body and soul. Especially the dark scenes, you have to be able to throw yourself at them completely.”

Irons went on to speak about the challenges of the role. Filming in Ukraine, Irons had to resist the urge to over-emote. “You have to remind yourself constantly that the tragedy is all around you and you don’t have to demonstrate that,” said Irons.  “But also, getting your head around being in the reality of these gut-wrenching, unimaginable situations. You know, having to walk past a child who is lying in the gutter starving to death, things like that that were everyday realities for people in Ukraine in ’32-’33. That for us, in our sort of wrapped up in cotton wool existence that we all have now, it’s quite hard to imagine.”

In the end, it is Irons’ hope that those who see the film are inspired to further educate themselves about the Holodomor. “So few people know about it, and I think that’s a shame. I hope they go on to pick up a book or go online and Google something,” said Irons.

Irons is no stranger to historical projects, having previously appeared as British king Edward IV in the hit series “The White Queen,” based on a set of novels by Philippa Gregory. “It was wonderful,” said Irons. “Very different than this. Philippa Gregory, both in her books and in her TV shows, she brightens things up a little bit. It was fun.”

Does Irons have a penchant for a particular genre or time period? “No, anything really. Why not? One of the great things about being an actor is that you get to do some of these different things and look through so many different lenses, so to speak,” said Irons.

As for Barks, her background is more musical, as she came to prominence on the BBC talent competition show, “I’d Do Anything,” and is best know for playing Éponine in the film version of the musical, “Les Misérables.” But, as she explained, making a straight drama wasn’t that different of an experience as one would think.

“I approach a musical character and a non-musical character in a similar way,” said Barks. “The way they see the world and their intentions within the world and their intentions in a scene, whether they’re delivered through song or through script dialogue, it’s about the truth of the character and the truth of the scene. Singing to me, I sing non-stop, so it’s basically a form of speech. For me, anyway. It’s not so much different, the approach, but the outcome is very different obviously.”

Barks has an extensive theater background, mostly in London. However, she is just as passionate about being in front of the camera as she is about being on stage.

“When I finish doing theater, I’m always excited to get back into filming and vice versa. When I’m filming I cannot wait to get back onto the stage, because the stage, it’s such an instant, amazing bond and connection that you have with an audience, and you can’t sleep for hours. You just feel electric and it’s amazing,” said Barks. “With film, you don’t have that instance response, but you do get to immerse fully in the scene. It’s so natural and instinctive and real that that’s kind of powerful to get to do that.”

Next up, Irons can be seen the film “The Wife,” with Glenn Close and Jonathan Price, as well as “Crooked House,” a thriller based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name. He will also appear alongside Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg in the post-apocalyptic film, “Terminal.” In April, he will head to Canada to start filming a TV series based on the classic Robert Redford film, “Three Days of the Condor.”

Barks returns to the stage in March to perform in the London production of the Broadway hit, “Honeymoon in Vegas.” She can also be seen giving her vocal chords a workout later this year in another historical film, “Interlude in Prague,” in which she portrays an opera singer in the time of Mozart.

“Bitter Harvest” opens Feb. 24 in select theaters.