SERRA YILMAZ

Serra: Kim o?
Ayşe: Kimono!
 
(This question means “Who is it” and in Turkish it pronounces very similar to the word kimono, so it’s funny)
 
When my daughter Ayşe was 15 years old, I was traveling a lot. I used to tell her that when the door is knocked, she had to ask "Who is it?" If they say "Kimono!" then she can open it. This was the password that I found at that time. (Shouts of laughter) 
 
Is giving birth a break in a woman's life?
Women like us do not give birth unless they desire it. I want my daughter Ayşe to be born so much and I waited for her. I'm a happy mom. When I see her doing whatever she wants I am happy for her. If she is happy with her life I am happy too. This is the most important thing. She is a good person and she is compassionate. I think this is precious. I adore her in main matters. Of course there are things which I don't like and criticize but this is normal because I have many, too.
 
What are they?
Laziness! I am a little bit lazy. I am not doing all the things what I am capable of. While I am getting older I realized that I didn’t use my whole capacity in past years. And I am not happy with it.
 
Do you think anything about this?
Yes. I think we’re running out of time so I'm doing a checklist right now.
 
If your inner world was a flat, how would it be decorated? Is it chaotic or are there empty spaces?
Chaotic! Crowded! Chaotic!  I usually wish people come and join my world. During the last period I've learned to protect myself maybe a little bit. I think this is a "must". As you are getting older you notice that time goes very fast. But this happens very slow in your conscious so I don't want to spend any time with unnecessary people or incidents. Maybe I've learned to say ”no”.
 
Couldn't you say "No" that easily?
It took many years to learn it. But I’ve learned at last and now I'm happy for it.
 
Where do you take a shelter in when you are in a bad mood?
I have a specific thing to do when I'm in bad mood or I get depressed. As soon as possible I call Sevinç who is my gym trainer for 30 years. We start to burst out laughing after ten minutes. (Shouts of laughter)
 
It’s a good formula. It works!
This is a great shift for me. But not taking exercise with anybody, just with Sevinç. Because she lives her name (Her name means "Joy"). She comes to me with her positive wind. Moreover, I feel fine when I go and watch a film. Sitting in dark at the cinema and watching a film in the big movie screen is always a kind of healing.
 
You travel from Italy to Istanbul all the time. What do you miss the most when you leave these places?
I have a simple principle, Esra... I'm strong minded to live the moment and the place where I'm. I've many friends in Florence and some members of my moral family also live there. I don't think of anything but Florence when I'm there. But when I come back to Istanbul, I realize how much I missed here. Same feelings at both places... Which means nostalgia is not my type.
 
 
If you compare now and your early years of your career are there any differences between your ideas about the description of being an actress?
Actually I don't have that much definitions. I've chosen to be an actress because I'm happy at the stage and I love playing! I didn't have any ambitions to be famous or to be known at the beginning. Let me tell you truth: I was in Venice Film Festival in 1987 with the movie "Anayurt Oteli". I was one of the leading actresses who were competing in such an international film festival at that year. At that moment I told to myself “I couldn't imagine such kind of things”. How weird, I just wanted to be an actress. Somehow in cinema, I've never thought of being famous or a celebrity.
 
So there was only theatre in the beginning?
Absolutely, it was the only thing on my mind. I don't know why but I've never thought of TV and cinema. However, I grew up in a house where my father was a film critic and he was also the founding president of the Cinematheque, I've grown up with cinema. I don't know exactly but maybe theatre was accessible for me. Anyway I'm fine with cinema right now. Being part of a film set and acting in a film is gorgeous for me. For instance for last two years I've been working at the film set at my birthdays. This is great for me. I hope it will be same again next year. I love the job itself. People can discuss whether I played well or not. It doesn't matter because they'll never agree with that. Some of them will like and the other ones will not, this is normal. But I know that I touch their feelings, I realized that from their eyes and hearts...
 
In my opinion, you're such a couch grass.. Especially at societies like us; people use indirect speech to communicate with each other. However you have the power to say everything directly. You're one of few people I know who are self confident. You're as you are... So you have an unbearable power of being yourself, it’s daring.
(Shouts of laughter). It's hard to describe this for sure, but people are lovely to me and they are always excited when they come next to me. I love it, this makes me delightful. After all, they made me understand that I touch their hearts and feelings. That's the point! My true followers know that I'll never loose indignity to anybody in many subjects. I have some principles. In my social media messages I never use humiliating words, you can never see any insults. I keep a good lookout for not being provoked. I neither swear nor use bad words for anybody. Not only in social media but also in real life I behave like this. That's my motto. No one deserves this.
 
You’ve got a dominant and easily defined appearance as it’s seen a disadvantage for other actresses but you cope with every role you take, you give color to a role.
You're right, I've got a dominant looking. Sometimes this may scare people. They carry on scaring if they're stuck in this idea anyway! (Shouts of laughter)
 
Do you pay attention of being loved by people?
Do you think anybody who doesn’t care about this can be a performer? There are few psychoanalytic aspects of this job. One of them is exhibitionism. So because I'm exhibiting at the stage or in front of the camera this satisfies me enough. In private life I don't prefer this. The other one is resisting in childhood. Who plays? Children! Acting is childish. That's ironic... You know players, actors, performers are people who can't farewell to childhood. And the last one is of course, desire for being admired. Why do you act? Because you wanna be appreciated. Some actors deny this. When they say "Come on, don't keep on me!" actually they want it! I want them to be honest, please.
 
Are you suffocated with fame?
I'm not Madonna for sure! When I go somewhere, no one cares it. So I don’t live the discomfort that all the celebrities live, nobody bothers me truly.  I'm not as famous as them. I understand the remonstrance of celebrities who are always followed by paparazzi. I hope I am not known as much as them. So if I complain, it must be ridiculous. What I experience is, being photographed! Sometimes they exaggerate taking too many photos but let them exaggerate. I am here because of their applause. But I think that's normal, they're the people who appreciate me, they are my fans. They come next to me so nicely that they could never be inconvenient. They are so kind. There are some beauties I live due to fame but I'm sometimes getting worried. If you are accustomed to these then it will be dangerous. Everything should be spontaneously, it's the best. You mustn't die for it. Most terrifying statement you can ever give is this: "Do you know who I am?" I had lived in France for a while three years ago. I had rehearsals. No one knows me there. Air smells so cinephilia there, but people only know me by means of Ferzan (Özpetek) films. I was just an ordinary person in France. That was a good experience for me not to perceive all these habits continual. This must be done all the time!
 
Are you passionate in love as you are at your work?
Yes, love also makes me passionate. Because love is an illness... But this illness is full of such emotions that makes it special. And you can’t find it all the time! When you catch it you must do everything for it.
 
Have you ever been head over heels in love?
Yes I had.
 
One, two?...
(Shouts of laughter) It isn't nice to give numbers but couple of times, yes...
 
What changes?
The climatic structure of the body changes, including brain! Men don’t use their brain all the time. By means of this I just wanted to mention the brain. (Shouts of laughter).
 
Are you in love right now?
No.
 
Do you feel its absence?
Actually I am not looking for it right now. You can't find it when you recall it anyway. It happens to you and then you start to live it.
 
Sometimes you invite it if you're ready...
Absolutely! It means if you are ready, you are open to this meeting. But honestly it is not in my agenda nowadays. My mind is busy with different and other things.
 
I wanna end up this interview full of dreams. What kind of a play you desire to be in, in the near future?
There's an interesting trend in the world you know: "Action role-playing game". Your question reminds me that. It has started in the United States. They're acting case drama. It's difficult in Turkey. You can act online, too. For instance a script can be given to you which takes part at a castle in Sweden. Everyone takes part in it. People there spend three days living according to their roles. It's such a great style practice for a performer. I would like to be part of this work. Besides I want a role that I'd never been in. I want to be suited for acting different roles. It's a big deal I think. As a matter of fact it is a kind of confidence. People are looking forward to seeing you acting different roles because they'd never seen you acting this character before and they trust in you.
 
We made a wish.
See you soon.