Kerem Búrsin, who has not appeared in the social environment for a long time, will be on the screens very soon with the series “Bu Sehir Arkadan Gelecek “(Heart of the City). For Kerem, who ís experiencing the excitement of the project, everything ís actually the return of a long preparation process. His passion for acting, which he could not hide while talking, the difficult journey he had for the series, the life he was fed with experiences and of course love. Let’s introduce you to Kerem Búrsin agaín. Believe me, you will love him too!
l am writing this introduction while listening to the song Kerem chose at the end of the interview. I have read so much about him that unlike the other interviewers, I had no hesitation to go. I knew what kind of energy I would encounter. As a matter of fact, the result of this was a ‘conversation’ of one hour and 17 minutes. Kerem retreated to rest after the TV series “Gúnesi Beklerken”, “Seref Meselesi”, and the occasional film “Unutursam Fisilda”. Of course, if you describe traveling around the world and gaining new experiences as resting… Kerem Búrsin, who will be making a comeback with his new series, “Bu Sehir Arkadan Gelecek”, is waiting impatiently for the character of boxer Ali to meet with the audience. We are talking about a realistic comeback. He wants to make the most of his hours of training, character studies and most importantly, the time he devotes to himself. So how is life going
for him? He is very happy with what the universe has to offer him now. Although turning thirty makes him uneasy, he believes that he will save the situation with his ‘never regret’ philosophy. He reads, writes and likes to dream of making his own music video while on the subway. Kerem Búrsin ¡is someone you really want to know.
First, let’s clarify that; Bursin or Búrsin?
Búrsin, …
So what does it mean?
It was a name in the Oguz Turks.
Those who have interviewed you before wrote that they were always nervous before meeting you. Why do you think this perception occurs?
I do not know… People have a prejudice, but I don’t know why there is such a perception of famous people. I am surprised at this too.
So how do you deal with being so popular?
If I say I don’t think I’m very popular? There are people who are much more popular than I am. When someone wants to take a picture, I don’t think ”m popular, that’s why”. I say ‘Maybe he watched a drama
“. Especially now, since I have not been involved in any projects for a year and a half, the interest shown is weird. ‘Do you know me?’ there are moments I say.
Do you go out too often?
Yes, | go out, but I don’t go to clubs like that, more to dinner. I love my house very much. At the same time, listening to myself and being with my close friends.
You said to ‘listen to myself”. Then you must love to be alone with yourself…
Absolutely! It is a very important time period. I think everybody should dedicate at least half an hour a day to themselves.
What do you think at such moments?
Whatever comes to my mind at that moment … I have a notebook, I write free articles there. Usually, it is related to world problems. Observation is also very important in our profession, so I am obsessed with details. My teacher used to say; “You can stare at a leaf for half an hour, but if you do, you can write about it for half an hour.” I’m trying to do it that way.
We now know very well that you lived in various parts of the world. What did all these
journeys bring you?
You can adapt very quickly; regardless of person, place, culture… You live in Indonesia for three years and then move on to Dubai. You are in Texas and then in Malaysia … You learn to recognize and respect different ideas, people and beliefs. And most importantly, you know people well.
How did you decide to make a definite return to Turkey?
There was always a hunger in this regard. Especially after I graduated from college … My last semester at college was in Los Angeles and I decided to become an actor there. I started having an identity problem there. When I said l’m Turkish” in the castings, they’d ask, ‘What did you do in Turkey?. And when I said, “l didn’t do anything,” they said, “Then you’re An American”. No, I am not. It’s a family ownership. They have always instilled in me that I am Turkish. Despite all this, I always think; Yes, you are Turk, but how Turkish are you?’. There was a question. When I realized how little I knew about something I owned so much of, I started thinking about whether to return. I believe in this very much; sometimes it is necessary to surrender. I have a controlling disease; so to surrender is not easy for me. But the universe offers you the opportunity to surrender. If not, it puts you in such a situation that you have to. It happened to me too. In 2011 I lost my best friend there. And at that point I decided to return to Turkey. I wanted to get away from what I knew, find myself, and I turned back and did my first military service.
Where did you do your military service?
In Burdur. | don’t want it to be misunderstood; I did military service by payment. You have a uniform over there, it doesn’t matter who you are. Everyone is serving something equal and common. I questioned whether I wanted to act or not because I realized that life isn’t very long. It’s easier when you say, “yes, l’m going to act to the end”. I didn’t want to say, “l wish l’d done this”. So, I decided to continue acting.
Which subject did you have the most adaptation problem upon your return?
On the subject of people. Inevitably, there is a class system here. When I first arrived, I could not understand. When I got on the subway, my friends said, “Are you crazy, why are you taking the subway?” they said. ls there anything as beautiful as a subway? Moreover, you are with many people in the subway. You can listen to your own music.
How many times did I shoot my own music video in those subways? (Laughs) Now of course it saddens me to be a little deprived of these. Especially disrespect … The value of respect here is often measured by the thickness of the wallet. Besides all these, we are a warm society. You can be with the shopkeepers in the neighbourhood. This is one of the things I love about here.
Where were you settling when you first arrived?
Il was in Bomonti. I have very important memories over there.
Well, let’s keep talking about acting what excites you about your career right now?
New drama … It’s a new world and the character ¡is quite exciting.
Noticed what you missed after such a long break?
I missed both the homework and the adrenaline and discomfort that the whole event brought. It was very important for me to stay away for a year because now my tank is empty. While I was in Gúnesi Beklerken (Waiting for the Sun), Unutursam Fisilda (Whisper If I Forget), and in Seref Meselesi (Matter of Respect) right after, I felt lost at this pace. It was a very good break for me to observe, live and feel. That’s why I’m so excited right now. l have focused on a sport for in my life. Let me say this; While boxing, you wear a boxing helmet to avoid any damage to your face. After a while, I said ‘lt doesn’t happen like this, never mind’ and took it off. I said ‘if my nose is going to be broken, at least my character will be more realistic’. With protection, I would never have been able to grasp 100 percent of the incident. The psychology that this event makes me feel is more interesting to me. Because then I can understand what will come out of my box. Thanks to my teachers, they evaluate my training as if I am a boxer, not a player; they never hurt.
Well, who are you working with for boxing?
With different boxing coaches such as Burak Ugur from Bujin and Tony Jeffries in the USA. There were times when I passed out in many training sessions and wanted to quit, but no matter what, the psychology of not giving up is different and important for my character. I can say it is the most difficult and enjoyable sport I have ever done.
Your partner will be Saadet Igil Aksoy in the new directory. What kind of duo do you think you will be? What are your feelings?
l am very happy! He’s an actor that I like and respect. It’s an exciting feeling to be working with an actor you like. I think we will do a very good job.
After all, you are telling a story on the screen. What do you want them to feel thinking as you convey this story to the audience?
What excites me the most is that the text is always positive, no matter how tragic it is. You watch movies and somehow it feels or motivates you. This series has a success story, tells about the challenges and overcoming them. I hope we will be able to give the message ‘you can’ to our audience.
So how do you handle it when your role and your character collide?
I think it is wrong to think this way anyway. I have to remove this; this is my job. This does not mean; I do everything. Events should be viewed from a logical perspective. But ultimately this is one of the situations that makes this profession exciting.
Until now, you have always been involved in drama-based TV series and projects. Do you think it would be funny if a comedy project came along?
(Laughs) I’m thinking and I would totally love it! For example, it could be a romantic comedy that
combines action and comedy. Or a situation comedy with a very different script. Why not?
You started acting with theatre in Texas. Do you consider going back on stage?
I would love to. Several offers had come. I hope it happens one day.
What is equivalent to your passion for acting in your life?
l’m not a selfish person, but when it comes to acting, I feel selfish. This is another love. I know that I will never be ‘okay’ because as we age, your game box and the ingredients change. To be a good actor, you have to know yourself very well, what your weaknesses and fears are. If you are at peace with yourself, you will become a free actor.
You said, ”l’ll never be okay’ but there will be times when you feel successful …
It depends a bit on the project. Maybe the project is not successful but your work is successful. With what can you measure success? If | am satisfied with my job, it is success for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m still a successful actor.
Let’s talk a little bit about life. Are you living a life that you’ve always wanted?
Of course, but I have a lot more to live for. Otherwise, it would be boring. Talking about today; yes, I am quite happy. Of course, I have goals, and I couldn’t even get close to most of them, but I love the ladder I use right now.
Does it bother you to be able to access everything so easily?
It is very sad. It causes us to consume faster, I feel sorry for us. When you go to a concert, you cannot decide whether you take a photo, share it on social media or watch my concert. Why are you at that concert? I think people do this just to be able to share something, to create a perception. This is living for others, not for yourself. We inevitably get lazy. Sometimes I catch myself. When I want to know something, I immediately take the phone out of my pocket. I think all of these make us lose our humanity. Things like the feature A.l (artificial intelligence) and the Quantum Computer produced by Google scare me a lot. I don’t want our future to be in the hands of robots. I want to deal with people.
What is the line that separates a man’s love from a woman’s love?
You are completely different! You are always a few more steps ahead. Love makes one become different when it enters a person’s life. l’d rather be alone for five years than having a lot of awkward relationships. Some people have a lot of nonsense relationships because they can’t be alone. The best example of love in my life was that of my grandmother and grandfather. They have a relationship that I have taken as an example since my childhood.
In that case, falling in love or is it falling in love with love?
The people I just mentioned who don’t like being alone are people who fall in love with the idea of falling in love. He used to say, ‘I want to buy flowers and take them to dinner” is to fall in love with this love. What he cares about there is not the person, but the concept …For me, love is wanting to share an energy with that person.
What feelings should a man feel in his life?
I think it’s the most important thing for a man to take care of himself. Then it feels strong. I don’t mean physical strength here. Respecting a woman, being a gentleman. These behaviours are things that show the difference between a man and a woman. I don’t want to say ‘take care of a woman’ because every woman can take care of herself. I’m talking about ‘being a man’. After all, it is very important for a person to experience and feel various emotions.
The definitions used for you ‘perfectness’, ‘object of desire”, ‘an inside out”… How many of
them do you think reflect the real Kerem?
I don’t know… I’m trying to be myself. I don’t need any more. Sure, it feels strange to hear such words. Am I such a man? Probably not. I also have flaws in this life.
What do you think will be the difference between Kerem in his 20s and Kerem in his 30s?
I want not to regret the decisions I made in my 30s. This will be the philosophy of my 30s; ‘Live without regret!’ I feel that I will get younger at that age. It is necessary to live life to the fullest.
What are you doing to keep your body fresh as well as your mind?
I read and write books. I have many notebooks. The other day I received a notebook I wrote in 2007. I wrote an article about what to do about acting at the airport. It has been ten years since, and sometimes one cannot believe where he has come.
If I wanted you to close this interview with a song…
Then get a new song; I say No Good from Kaleo.