World on Fire is a huge drama, with storylines sweeping across Europe, and showing a different side of the events of World War Two through the lives of more than a dozen central characters, every day people caught up in shattering events.
One of the key characters in both seasons, helping to link all of those intersecting stories, is Harry Chase. As season one, set in 1939, begins, he's a young, naive Englishman working for the British embassy in Warsaw, Poland. Clever and handsome, Harry has had an easy life – but war will change all of that.
Before everything changed: Jonah Hauer-King in season one of 'World on Fire'. Credit: BBC / Mammoth Screen
Harry is played by , an English actor who's added the role of Prince Eric in the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid to his CV since filming the first season of World on Fire, and has been spotted for the upcoming season of Dr Who.
Here he talks about how the series resonated with his own family history, the love triangle Harry lands in, and working with award-winning actress Lesley Manville, who plays his mother, Robina.
What was it particularly about Harry that you were drawn to and wanted to play?
I was really drawn to Harry because of the level of depth that he has in him. He’s a very complex character. I don’t think he’s an archetypal hero at all, and that’s one of the best things about Pete’s writing (series creator Peter Bowker), is that he really tries to stay away from stereotypes and predictability. Harry’s someone with a huge amount of humanity and compassion but with a lot of flaws as well. People aren’t perfect; they have light and shade. ... I really felt like Harry goes on such a journey. He learns and grows so much. For an actor, any character that you see having a huge arc and some kind of transformation is really attractive.
Did you have to do any research for the role? Do you have any of your own family history that you heard about?
Yes, I did a lot of research, and there’s also so much in the script that we can draw on. During filming [for season one] there was Armistice Day, which was incredibly moving. We were on set and we had a two-minute silence. It was a reality check, remembering those who have actually experienced times like those we were filming. We’re trying to create a story and create art about it, but it’s so important to be grounded in the reality of what happened in both the First World War and the Second World War and, indeed, any war of our time.
I’ve always felt quite connected to the Second World War because my grandparents are Polish Jews who fled in the '30s to America, which is where my mum grew up. War is so unsettling and there’s so much upheaval. Because of that I’ve always been really fascinated in how war affects one’s identity.
[Note - The following answers contain some minor spoilers for season 1]
In season 2, how was it covering the story of the campaign in North Africa and the horrors of what went on there?
One of the strengths of Peter's writing is that he’s exploring a period of history we might think we know well, but he's coming at it from different angles. The war in North Africa was a massive but little-known part of the Second World War. It was an incredibly challenging experience for the soldiers, because not only were they fighting the enemy in the form of the Germans and the Italians, but they were also fighting the desert. It's very dangerous, unforgiving and frightening, freezing cold at night and then of course scorching by day. So many people were killed by the desert without even picking up a gun. A single insect bite could turn infectious and kill them. It’s a compelling story and one I think people will be surprised by – the dehydration, battling the elements, the endless flies. My character and the other men survived the horrors of Dunkirk and probably thought that they were invincible and could take on anything. But the desert brings a whole new level of fear.
Jonah Hauer-King as Harry in World on Fire series 2. Credit: BBC / Mammoth Screen
What can you tell us about the Sappers?
The Sappers are part of the Indian army fighting alongside the British, and there are some wonderful new characters who are unbelievably brave and dedicated. A big part of their job was to lay tactical minefields, which is dangerous and unforgiving work. It’s a fascinating, nuanced story – whilst they are fighting alongside the Brits, there's also the quest to be independent of them. That's a subtle thing for people to understand.
Can you tell us about Harry’s relationship with Rajib?
Harry and Rajib have a lot in common, and they’re the same rank. They might come from different worlds and backgrounds but they’ve both been brought up in a disciplined world of stiff upper lips. They also share a deep humanity and a huge amount of compassion and take their responsibility for their men very seriously. As so often happens, their relationship starts off somewhat fragmented and fractious, but they become very close, bonded by their shared experiences of incredible danger and spending a significant amount of time together. It’s a really beautiful theme of this series as a whole - of unlikely friendships and unlikely meetings. Harry feels honoured to be fighting alongside Rajib. It brings into sharp focus how much responsibility they both have and makes him raise his game.
Rajib (Ahad Raza Mir). Credit: BBC / Mammoth Screen
So much of the battle in the desert was a boring waiting game. Can you tell us about the siege depicted in the series?
The siege of Tobruk is a fascinating story. It lasted for 241 days and involved a lot of hunkering down and waiting. It's fascinating to think about what that does to someone’s mind, knowing the monster is out there and feeling like you're on the edge of a precipice, but not being actively engaged. That mental battle is a massive part of this series for the soldiers in general, but for Harry in particular – he's fighting the war on so many different fronts, learning how to deal with his demons and finding that very, very challenging.
What about Harry’s relationship with Stan (Blake Harrison) – is it fair to say we see a sort of bromance developing between them?
Blake and I are close friends on and off screen, so it was fun to track the arc of that friendship. Harry and Stan start off unsure of each other – Stan is quite suspicious and Harry senses that. But we follow everything they go through together and how that bonds them. When they're reunited, it’s a really special, beautiful moment.
How does Harry’s father's untimely death continue to affect him and his mother?
We learnt in the first series that Harry's dad died by suicide. Apart from all the obvious questions of why, and how traumatic that would be for a young boy and for a wife and partner, as Harry gets older he’s plagued by all these questions about what led his father to that moment. Those feelings gradually simmer up into a quite hysterical mania, of not really knowing who he is and where he's come from, which has massive implications for Harry and his sense of his own identity. He begins to worry that he and his dad are quite similar and that he may well be heading in the same direction. That’s something we explore more in this season. That traumatic, fractious past impacts Harry and Robina’s relationship in the present. It’s interesting to explore how they come to terms with what happened and with each other.
A big part of the way Harry deals with his trauma is by running away, joining the army, finding a sense of purpose through fighting and seeking escape through drink. He's in turmoil. He’s seen and done some terrible things, but he's not very good at sitting with those feelings. All this seems to me to come from a place of self-loathing which leaves him feeling directionless. Being in the army fighting alongside Stan and the other soldiers gives him something quite literally to fight for.
In this season, do we see a softer, mellower side of Robina?
Lesley is such a kind, compassionate, warm person in real life, so when I started working with her and saw Robina come to life, I was struck by what a brilliant performance it was given how cold and harsh and damning Robina is as a character. Whenever we did scenes together where we're at each other's throats, which was quite often, we had to break off afterwards and apologise for being so horrible to each other. But the unconditional love Robina has for Harry’s baby is life-changing for her, opening up emotions she didn't realise still existed. His daughter really brings out the best in Robina who has a pure, beautiful love for both Vera and Jan.
Lesley Manville as Robina. Credit: BBC / Mammoth Screen
Let's talk about the central love triangle which gripped World on Fire fans in series one – Harry, Lois, and Kasia. How can Harry genuinely fall in love with two women?
In series one, Harry and Kasia (pkayed by Zofia Wichlacz) fell deeply in love and get married. They have a really beautiful, young, pure relationship. But as the war unfolds, they go through so much trauma that they find it difficult to communicate. He was so focused on finding her out in Poland but they're now facing up to the reality of how they have changed as individuals. It would be unrealistic to think they could just pick up exactly where they left off. Harry used to have a slightly idealised and naïve view of the world, but they realise they're going to have to learn to fall back in love again.
Happier times: Zofia Wichlacz and Jonah Hauer-King in season one of 'World on Fire'. Credit: Gareth Gatrell / Mammoth Screen
As for Lois (Julia Brown), the girl he left behind, she has been through so much. She lost her mum when she was a young girl and Harry lost his dad at a young age, which was a big part of what drew them together. Now Lois is grieving the loss of her dad too and she has a tiny baby. She’s still really young, even though they've all had to grow up really fast. I think Harry and Lois’s relationship evolves quite beautifully over the course of the series. Despite everything there's a deep friendship and real love and respect for each other.
It's interesting that Lois, Kasia and Robina don’t hesitate in telling Harry some home truths.
Yes, Harry’s surrounded by these brilliantly strong, smart women who definitely don't mince their words - which is as it should be. At the start of this series, we meet Harry really struggling and battling his demons. But he's also much more emotionally mature, not least because the women around him don’t let him get away with anything.
How important is it to make dramas about this period in history?
Film and television dramas are an incredible platform for telling human stories and honouring the people who sacrificed so much. Those brave people won't be around forever, but the trauma lives on. Series like World on Fire are a wonderful way for younger audiences to engage with this period of history and it pulls together stories from across the world, from India, France, Germany, Poland. I'm proud to be part of it.
Both seasons of World on Fire are streaming now at SBS On Demand.
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