(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Jim Sturgess felt the whole weight of Polish history on his shoulders while shooting The Way Back.

The British actor felt pressurised to honour the complex details of what happened in the Siberian gulags during World War Two.

Directed by Peter Weir, the movie opens with Jim being consigned to a Russian-run prison looking horrified, and he did not take the role lightly.

The 29-year-old spent months reading history books and speaking to gulag survivors in order to do the part justice.

"I was wound tight. I felt the entire Polish history sitting on my shoulder and I had to give it in one stare," Jim told British newspaper The Guardian.

The actor plays Janusz, a young Polish soldier who leads an escape party from the gulag in the movie, which also stars Colin Farrell.

Jim admits he struggled to cope with the harsh climates during filming, which ranged from snow to blistering heat.

He was always outside in the open air, which the actor found discomforting.

"I'm more of a city person," he admitted. (C) Cover Media