“TIMELESS BEAUTY” Issue with Gülsim Ali
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH Gülsim Ali
1.You've captivated audiences with your work. What initially sparked your interest in acting and how did you pursue that passion? I was born and raised in a small town in Bulgaria, and one of the best memories I have from my childhood is watching VHS tapes every evening with my family which we rented from a nearby shop. One of our favorite genres was Bollywood movies. I have watched hundreds of Bollywood movies since my childhood. Then, when I was 14 years old, Turkish TV series started to air in Bulgarian TV channels, and I loved watching Turkish actresses. While watching them, I said “one day I want to be on this screen”. I did my best, I reached out to the casting agency, and I came from the tiny city of Ruse to the metropolis of Istanbul. I spoke Turkish a little bit, so I needed to improve it. I took both Turkish and acting classes. As a result of a great struggle and work, my dream came true and now I am where I want to be.
2.The characters you portray are often complex and intriguing. What draws you to particular roles, and is there a dream character you'd love to play someday? A very accurate observation, this is one of the things I pay the most attention to before saying YES to a project. I like to appear in front of the audience in different characters every time. I portrayed some historical characters in some period dramas, which is always a pleasure. I have played the roles of nurse, engineer, teacher, informant and agent, all of them being strong women who stand on their own feet (like me). Hahaha My dream is to be in a Bollywood movie, dressed like Indian actresses, adorned with your gorgeous jewelry and dancing in the crowded choreographies. Ahhh how I love those scenes and your colorful world
3.Actors manage busy schedules. How do you balance your professional life with your personal well-being? I am a person who is in love with her profession. To be honest, I don't have much time for my personal life. I have been living in Turkey for about 10 years, away from my family and this is one of the most difficult aspects of my profession; so everything else is in the background for me right now. My priority is my family and my work
4. Every set has its own unique atmosphere. Can you share a memorable or behind-the-scenes story from a production you've worked on? My favorite movie is Titanic, I love it so much and I cry every time I watch it even though I know the ending. When I was little I was a total Aishwarya Rai fangirl, even wallpapers on my phone and computer screen were her photos. I still like her very much and I want to send my love from here Recently, I have been following Jennifer Lawrence, an actress I like and many people even say that we look alike. She is one of the actresses I am inspired by.
5.Every set has its own unique atmosphere. Can you share a memorable or behind-the-scenes story from a production you've worked on? -I am a person who loves the set crew very much, they become like a second family to me during projects. I have always had the chance to work with valuable friends and teachers. I have thousands of memories, but I will tell you the first one that comes to my mind right now. In 2014, we were shooting the period film “Seddülbahir 32 Hours” in a remote village of Çanakkale. I was playing the role of Zeliha, a nurse. I had a reunion scene with my partner and we were running towards each other from a distance. 3 cameras, one in the center, one shooting me and one shooting my partner, I was stung by a bee on my leg while running. It was so painful that we had to stop shooting. I went to the hospital and got vaccinated, 100s of people in set waited for me, I was treated and we continued shooting where we left off. It was a tragicomic moment
6.Every profession has its hurdles. What has been one of the biggest challenges you've faced in your acting career, and how did you overcome it? By working hard! At first I was seen as a foreigner here, I had to be one of the others. I had to speak Turkish perfectly, without an accent. I have worked non-stop for this, and I continue to do so. I love to improve myself. I take acting classes, I attend various workshops. Before each series/film, we work on the character with my acting coach. And as I mentioned above, it is sad to be away from my family and loved ones.
7.With the experience you've gained, what advice would you give to someone starting out in the acting world? First of all, I would tell them not to give up, both success and talent matter a lot in our sector, but also fortune. We Turks say that if it is in your destiny, it will happen. When I first started on this path, there were some projects that I wanted to be involved in, but somehow it didn't work out and I was left out. Even though I was very sad at the time, afterwards I always thought “I'm glad it didn't work out” for these projects. And saw these weren't the right projects for me. That's why I recommend actor/acctress candidates not to give up, to work, try and observe a lot. 8.Beyond acting, do you have any other creative interests or projects you'd like to explore in the future? My dream is to play the piano and sing, of course not professionally, it would be great if I could learn enough for myself or do it well enough for a project! And another dream of mine is being behind the camera, because I love spending time on set, maybe some day I can be a director in a project. Why not
9.The Indian film industry is constantly evolving. What are your thoughts on its current direction and where do you see it going? There are so many Indian TV series in Bulgaria and Turkey, people love to watch them. I prefer to watch movies, there are a few that come to my mind right now, Veer-Zaara, Devdas, My name is Khan, Bajrangi Bhaijaan (I cry every time I watch it), Fanaa and so on. I am really a person who is in love with your country’s work, and maybe my love for acting has been rekindled while watching your movies and your successful actors. I love them all very much and follow them closely
10.Social media allows actors to connect with fans. How do you approach using social media platforms and what kind of interaction do you enjoy with your audience? My fan base is growing more and more every day, there are people from all over the world who follow, love and support me. I am a very lucky person, once on the set of “Diriliş Ertuğrul” series, a family from Africa came with their cute tiny baby. They told me that they named the baby “Aslıhan” after my character in the series. I can't tell you how happy I was, I mean it's a great feeling to be able to touch many people and be a part of their lives. I feel very lucky. I love you all very much, I hope that whatever you have in your hearts will come true. May all the good and beautiful things in the world be with you