Deniz Can Aktaş plays Haydar Ali Aslan, the lead of Yeraltı, NOW, a Wednesday-night crime drama. The cast and plot are just below. After that come the best parts of his Q&A with NOW, where he talks about leaving Halil İbrahim of Hudutsuz Sevda behind, plus my own view on how well he fits the role.
Who Is Haydar Ali Aslan?
Haydar Ali Aslan avenges his family’s murder and lands in prison, right in the middle of one of Turkey’s most dangerous criminal organisations.
Three years later, he walks free and finds that the woman he never forgot, Ceylan, is married to someone close to him. From there, it becomes a story of love, revenge, and loyalty in Istanbul.
Main cast: Deniz Can Aktaş plays Haydar Ali, Devrim Özkan plays Ceylan, and Uraz Kaygılaroğlu plays Bozkurt Hanoğlu, known to fans as Bozo.
Supporting cast: Sümeyye Aydoğan, Burak Sevinç, Ülkü Hilal Çiftçi, Ekin Mert Daymaz, Emir Benderlioğlu, Koray Şahinbaş, Hülya Gülşen, Hakan Çelebi and Mehmet Yılmaz Ak.
Behind the camera: Berna Aruz wrote the series, and Murat Öztürk directed it. (Habertürk)
Quick Facts: Yeraltı at a Glance
The interview was given around the series premiere in January 2026, and the show has since returned for a second season.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Show | Yeraltı |
| Channel | NOW |
| Production company | MedYapım |
| Director | Murat Öztürk |
| Premiere | 28 January 2026 |
| Air slot | Wednesdays, 20:00 (Turkey) |
| Season 2 start | 7 October 2026 |
| Filming location | Istanbul |
| Lead cast | Deniz Can Aktaş (Haydar Ali Aslan), Devrim Özkan (Halide Ceylan), Uraz Kaygılaroğlu (Bozkurt Hanoğlu) |
| Aktaş’s previous series | Hudutsuz Sevda (as Halil İbrahim) |
Background: Two Series, One Actor
Hudutsuz Sevda starts with Halil İbrahim, a boy who loses his father in a blood feud and gets sent to Istanbul. Twenty years later, he returns to the Black Sea region for revenge, until Zeynep (Miray Daner) enters his life and complicates things. Much of it was shot in Artvin, which explains the forests Aktaş says he misses. Murat Öztürk directed it, and he is the same director Aktaş works with now on Yeraltı.
Yeraltı swaps that rural setting for the criminal underworld. After killing the man who murdered his family, Haydar Ali ends up in prison and gets caught up in a powerful crime network. Love and revenge drive the story from there.
Both heroes are driven by revenge, but their worlds are very different. That gap is exactly why Aktaş says the switch was so hard.
Deniz Can Aktaş Interview: Key Highlights
These are the parts of his Q&A with NOW that I found most interesting.
Closing the Chapter on Hudutsuz Sevda
Aktaş calls Hudutsuz Sevda a long journey that gave him real friendships and plenty of memories.
Playing one character for so long lets an actor go deep into every emotion, he says, and he feels lucky to have had that chance.
He misses the cast most, then the locations. The show was mostly shot in forested land away from the city, and he already longs for being surrounded by nature.
The Hardest Part: Becoming Someone Else, Fast
Jumping into a very different role is still the hardest part of acting for him. It is also why he wanted this project. The pressure feeds his creativity, and he tries to pick roles that push him that way.
Did he and Halil İbrahim blend?
A little. He sees them as two different people who spent years together, like friends, so they rubbed off on each other. He still works at keeping himself separate from his characters.
How He Prepared for Haydar Ali
He describes the preparation as painful. First, he had to separate Haydar Ali from Halil İbrahim and figure out what makes this man different. Then came long sessions with his acting coach. On set, director Murat Öztürk played a big role too, and Aktaş feels they built the character together.
What Yeraltı Is About
Yeraltı is both a love story and a revenge story. Aktaş says it has plenty of turning points and layered characters shaped by love, revenge, and friendship.
He thinks viewers will connect with them easily, and he left them with a question: If you had to choose between love, revenge, and friendship, what would you pick, or would you choose none of them?
Sharing the Screen with Uraz Kaygılaroğlu and Devrim Özkan
This was his first time working with Uraz Kaygılaroğlu and Devrim Özkan, and he says they clicked quickly. He calls them both generous actors who like playing off a partner and making space for them. He is enjoying the work.
Ten Years In: Milestones, Theatre and Expectations
Milestones. He will not name one defining role. Every new character counts as a milestone for him, a chance to use what he has learned and find new directions.
Theatre. He spent three seasons on stage and calls it an unforgettable roller-coaster ride. He is off that train now, but he still carries the experience with him.
Aiming for the best. Early in his career, he said he wanted to be the best. These days that sounds incomplete to him. Now he aims for his own best, and although he often feels he has given everything, he does not expect that of himself every single time. That would be unrealistic and exhausting, he says.
Beard or clean-shaven? Fans loved his clean-shaven photos, but the beard does not change how he feels. For him, the question is whether the look fits the character and the world around them.
My Take on Deniz Can Aktaş as Haydar Ali
Haydar Ali feels like a role made for Deniz Can Aktaş. His looks suit the character, and he carries the part convincingly. Even the character’s full name, Haydar Ali Aslan, fits him: aslan means “lion” in Turkish, and his face and smile have that same warmth and quiet strength. Whoever wrote this character seems to have imagined him in the part.
Though the standout performance for me is Uraz Kaygılaroğlu as Bozo, his acting and the way the character is written are both excellent, and every scene he is in is a pleasure to watch.
That does not take anything away from Aktaş. After ten years in the industry, he has done a solid job, and Yeraltı shows how much he’s grown. I hope we see him take on more challenging roles like this one in the future.
Final Thoughts
Between a fresh start as Haydar Ali and a new ensemble cast, Yeraltı looks like a deliberate stretch for Aktaş, and he sounds happy to take it on. If you follow Turkish dramas, it is worth watching for the performances alone.
Which would you choose: love, revenge, or friendship? Share your answer in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Deniz Can Aktaş play in Yeraltı?
He plays Haydar Ali Aslan, a man who goes to prison after avenging his family and is drawn into the criminal underworld.
Where and when can I watch Yeraltı?
It airs on NOW on Wednesdays at 20:00 Turkish time. Season 2 began on 7 October 2026.
Who are the main cast members?
Deniz Can Aktaş, Devrim Özkan (Ceylan), and Uraz Kaygılaroğlu (Bozkurt Hanoğlu) lead the cast. Aktaş says this was his first time working with Özkan and Kaygılaroğlu.
Who directs Yeraltı?
Murat Öztürk, who also directed Hudutsuz Sevda. Aktaş credits him with helping to shape Haydar Ali on set.
Who wrote Yeraltı?
Berna Aruz wrote the series.
What was Deniz Can Aktaş’s previous series?
Hudutsuz Sevda, where he played Halil İbrahim. He says the 63-episode run left him with friendships and a deep understanding of one character.
How long has Aktaş been acting?
He says he has passed his tenth year in the industry and treats every new role as a milestone.
Where is Yeraltı filmed?
In Istanbul.
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