‘Big Mistakes’ Star Boran Kuzum Breaks Down Yusuf & Morgan’s Romantic Tension

Big Mistakes star Boran Kuzum delivers Nicky (Dan Levy) and Morgan’s (Taylor Ortega) first dose of reality in the organized crime world when she steals a valuable necklace from his character Yusuf’s shop.

Coming after the siblings and threatening them to return the piece of jewelry, it turns out that there’s an even bigger bad behind the curtain of Yusuf’s operation, with even closer ties to Nicky and Morgan than they’d initially believe. Fair warning: There are spoilers for the Big Mistakes Season 1 finale ahead! As viewers see in the final moments of Season 1, Yusuf took the initiative to cut a deal with the higher-ups, dooming his direct boss, Ivan (Mark Ivanir), and forcing Nicky and Morgan to continue their criminal ways under the supervision of big boss, Annette (Elizabeth Perkins), who also happens to be the mother of Morgan’s fiancé, Max (Jack Innanen).

The problem with that? Yusuf and Morgan’s chemistry is hard to deny from the minute they meet, and a one-night stand has muddied the waters. Will that complicate their situation as we look ahead to Big Mistakes’ potential future while awaiting a Season 2 renewal? Kuzum weighs in on the topic and so much more below.

Netflix

You’re a big actor in Turkey, but haven’t really appeared in anything stateside. How did this role come about, and what excited you about comedy?

Boran Kuzum: I’ve been doing this in Turkey for over 10 years now, and as an actor, the nature of our job is to reach [a wider] audience.  So I always wanted to do something globally, and that was the goal. So, I left some things behind, came to America to meet with my managers, and then I started auditioning for it, and then I received this audition call for Dan Levy’s untitled new project, and I was like, “Is this Dan Levy from Schitt’s Creek?” I got so excited because I was obsessed with what he’s been doing. And I did a Zoom audition. I didn’t hear for a while, and when I got the role, I thought it was just going to be a one-episode role.  But yeah, here we are, and it’s been a thrilling journey. It was just amazing.

What was it like delving into comedy? 

It’s good to be versatile in acting. I did some comedies, but mostly drama for sure. It was just like anything. Dan and our writers on the series… You don’t have to do much as an actor because the writing was exceptional, so we just went by the flow, and with other actors, they are all brilliant, so it was just all the synergy between us.

Did you and Taylor have a chemistry test to foster the connection Yusuf and Morgan have onscreen? 

I just did one Zoom audition, and I was in Turkey. They didn’t call me for a chemistry read together, but she’s great, so we just clicked when we first met.

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That’s awesome. What was it like shooting that first scene together? 

That was the most stressful scene for me because that was my audition tape scene.

Oh, so you were reliving it like PTSD.

Exactly. This was my audition tape, and [I’ve still never watched] my audition. So I was like, “What did I do?” So I was trying to find the right way. I was overthinking about that scene; that was the most stressful thing for me.

Why didn’t Yusuf care for his boss Ivan? Did he think he was ill-equipped to handle tasks or does he just not like the way Ivan operates? 

I think Yusuf is… there’s a similarity between how Nicky and Morgan find themselves in the situation. Yusuf also found himself in a place that he doesn’t belong in, and he doesn’t want to be involved in. But he’s just trying to survive in his life, and you see the layers of the character throughout the episodes, and he’s trying to survive. He’s trying to build a life for himself, and I was thinking of a connection between him and me, that I was also following my dreams to come to America. I mean, I hope I wouldn’t find myself in that situation if I couldn’t achieve my dreams, obviously, but he doesn’t belong in that. He wants to just succeed in life in a way.

Yusuf goes over Ivan’s head to cut a deal with Annette directly. Is he in over his head?

I think he came to a point in his life where he’s not afraid of losing anything. There was a reason that he was trying to build his life for his girlfriend back in Turkey, and when he finds out that nothing is how he was imagining back in Turkey, now he has nothing else to lose in his life, so he’s going to take control, as Morgan tells him. He’s gonna take the power back.

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Does Yusuf’s night with Morgan mean anything to him? What would you like to see for them in a second season now that Yusuf put Morgan and himself in a precarious position with Annette?

I think in that scene, Morgan was probably the first person in a long time who saw how Yusuf truly is and the value of him, and that’s what makes Yusuf feel like, “OK, I’m into this woman now.” It started this fire between them, and I’m sure that he felt something for Morgan. It was not a random hookup for him.

What would you like to see next for Yusuf if the show returns for Season 2?

Anything Dan and our writers write for Yusuf, I’m OK. I’m just happy to be a part of this. I don’t have any wish list. They are so creative and exceptional. Exciting ideas are coming up all the time from them, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. I trust them so much.

Do you think Yusuf would be friends with Morgan’s fiancé, Max? 

I have a feeling, yeah, [they would]. They are both silly in different ways, but I never thought about that. I think they can get along well; they can be good friends.

Big Mistakes, Streaming now, Netflix