In Chernobyl, Ulana Khomyuk is one of the few characters that are fictional – though is the creation of multiple testimonies from those who experienced the disaster.
Played by British actress Emily Watson, Khomyuk is a scientist at the Institute of Nuclear Energy of the Academy of Sciences of the Belarusian SSR.
Tasked with discovering what happened to cause the disaster, her position leads her to finding out more than she could have imagined.
The character is based on the true stories of those who really were members of the investigation team, and brings to life the bigger issues many tried to hide.
Speaking ahead of the series, Watson opens up about rising to the challenge of the role, balancing the fiction with the reality, and why the Chernobyl story is still so relevant today.
Who are you playing in this and what’s their role in the tragedy?
I play Ulana Khomyuk - a composite character created from a range of scientists. She’s from the Belarus Institute of Nuclear Energy, so she’s far away, but alarms go off and she works out where the radiation is coming from.
She’s very smart and very determined and works out the way they’re fighting the fire could trigger a secondary explosion. She drives to Chernobyl, persuades them and becomes a trusted part of the team. Jared’s character asks her to get to the bottom of what happened.
It takes a dark turn when she starts coming across material that’s been redacted, and realises there were design faults known all along.
Craig said he had you in mind when he wrote the part…
I was appropriately flattered when he told me that. I think he was one of many people who were conned by my coming over intelligent [laughter]. But it was such a lovely challenge to be someone who just throws caution to the wind in that kind of society, to speak the truth where that’s forbidden.
I think the way Craig has put it together is very credible and powerful.
Did you have to do any research?
I read the history of Belarus and realised it was probably the most dangerous place in the world to live in the 20th Century.
One of the films that Johan wanted everyone to watch, just as a reference point, was Come and See - a Russian film made in the 80’s about the Nazi’s coming into a village in Belarus. What they do is just devastating.
My character would have been a small child then so she would have grown up through the most extraordinary levels of trauma and inhumanity. To survive that she had to be tough.
How were Jared and Stellan to work with?
Working with Stellan on Breaking Waves, my first film, was a very profound experience. He gave me some really invaluable advice, which has stayed with me throughout my career. The first few takes were a little awkward because we’d had such a profound experience before, but then it was just like old friends.
Me and Jared hit it off straight away. I came down one morning and he was sitting in the hotel, I was supposed to be at rehearsals, and we just chatted and giggled and made each other really late. He won’t let anything go and is very hard on himself.
How does Johan work as a director?
He’s got a very Scandinavian way about him, which is great. He’s one of those guys with boundless energy, so he’s very available, very there for everybody, very positive and very clear in what he wants.
He takes risks and does things in interesting ways, but it never gets muddy. We would often finish the day early because he knew exactly what he wanted. Every day was fun.
Is it a historical piece or does it have relevance to today?
It’s about ownership of truth and the nature of energy and how we control it. It feels like both those things are desperately urgent and that the wheels of history are turning before our eyes. I think it’s a very politically astute, relevant piece.