The off-screen couple are near mobbed after an on-stage conversation held Sunday at Rimini’s Italian Global Series Festival
Rimini’s Teatro Amintore Galli was packed to the rafters for a conversation between Turkish actor Özge Gürel (“Wolf,” “Mr. Wrong”) and Serkan Çayoğlu (“Wolf,” “Cherry Season”) on Sunday at the Italian Global Series Festival. The second the on-stage conversation concluded, a wave of ardent fans rushed to greet them in person.
The conversation was itself about that very popularity, of the successful export of Turkish dizi which have become a sensation – or a “phenomenon” as the moderator put it – in Italy and other countries around the world. Real life partners Gürel and Çayoğlu starred in series “Wolf” and “Cherry Season” together, something they briefly spoke on during the conversation.
Before this, the two spoke about memories of television in Turkey (“every father should watch ‘Super Subbu,’” said Çayoğlu) and then reflected on the differing perceptions between film and television actors, though perhaps didn’t see a lot of difference between the two – itself a reflection of how the reputation and prestige of television has changed in recent years.
“I don’t know if TV is ‘less prestigious’ than cinema,” Gürel observed in regards to being asked if television actors are seen differently.” “Maybe it’s because it takes more time.” Çayoğlu also highlighted this as a basic, if key difference in audience perception, in that “cinema probably doesn’t have the same limits in terms of time.” Çayoğlu also noted how streaming platforms have provoked a change, and perhaps an overlap between mediums, saying that “internet platforms have lessened this gap” in reference to how runtimes on streamers are more flexible than on broadcast.
Regarding international interest in Turkish television, the moderator remarked that people are showing greater interest in the country and the Turkish language, asking the actors what they thought about how much people can become familiar through these stories, fables and fantasies though they might be. “In Turkey, we are great storytellers; we are a people who experience emotions deeply, right from the heart,” Çayoğlu says. “We share stories about our beautiful cities and our diverse culture – we are a place where different cultures live together, so we tell stories that reflect that.”
Both spoke about their surprise at their popularity, Gürel quipping that one time they saw people taking pictures while they were filming and assumed they were just tourists rather than specific fans of their work. Çayoğlu mentions his amazement at meeting fans in Italy and Argentina, representations of their work crossing borders.
When asked about why the two think that the various Turkish series they worked on have had this effect abroad, Gürel said that it’s as simple as emotional investment. “It is about emotions– feelings that we all experience, universal emotions that resonate deeply with people,” she said. “Especially in today’s world, where everything is becoming increasingly digitized and consumed rapidly, perhaps we are better able to recall those values we risk losing – not just love, but friendship and the importance of family. All of this truly gives people hope. That is the power of feelings when things are created with genuine heart.”