Exclusive Interview | Ceren Karakoç

In our MIPTV 2024 issue, we spoke with Ceren Karakoç, the talented actress embodying the character Nursema in the acclaimed Turkish series One Love. Ceren Karakoç shared her thoughts on the significance of One Love in her career. From Nursema’s evolution from a traditional figure to a symbol of empowerment, Ceren Karakoç discussed the series’ exploration of diverse characters and their interconnected journeys.

One Love has consistently ranked among the top 3 most viewed and discussed TV series in Türkiye for the past two seasons. How do you perceive the character Nursema and the series One Love within the context of your career, and what significance does it hold for you?

One Love is a very special and meaningful project for me. It is very different from the series made so far both in terms of the subject it deals with and my career. The character of Nursema is a character who explains that every woman is a strong individual, regardless of her thoughts and lifestyle, and that it is important to always survive. Of course, One Love and Nursema will always be special for me as it is a turning point in my career.

In the first season, Nursema emerged as a powerful symbol of womanhood in Türkiye. Having cheated death, she defied societal expectations and carved her own unique path. This season, we see her further empowered as she starts working alongside Umut. How would you describe Nursema’s evolution across these two seasons?

While Nursema was a harsh, stereotypical, and traditional character in the first season, her experiences and her feelings for Umut led her to make an inner revolution. Starting to work, going against her family, and marrying Umut meant a huge change in her life. As she meets different people and touches their lives, she can take new paths. Nursema realises that change is possible for everyone and she is still changing and will change. 🙂 Because she is a good person. 🙂

One Love isn’t like those works where two characters take center stage and side characters simply develop the plot. It shows us the characters’ journeys, their dilemmas, and their decisions. This focus on a well-rounded cast makes the series so strong. What kind of experience is it for you to be part of such a talented group in a multi-character story?

Yes, in One Love, each character is very deep and the story of each character is very strong. It is a series that does not revolve around a single story, living like real life, where strong emotions and contrasting characters come together and everyone has a connection with each other. Our cast consists of very successful and strong actors, it gives me great pleasure to play with all of them. We are looking forward to the wonderful stories of our screenwriter Melis Civelek and Zeynep Gür every week. 🙂

The series’ international sales are also thriving. There’s an important event coming up at MIPTV. How are you feeling about MIPTV? Also, what were the most interesting comments you’ve received about One Love from international audiences?

I am already very excited about the event at MIPTV, I think it will be great. 🙂 Yes, every week I receive very nice comments about our series from abroad. I went to Paris in January for another event, I observed that we had a lot of our audience there while walking on the street. I liked it very much when they showed their love, chatted with me, and asked for spoilers. 🙂

Ceren Karakoç: “Although the subjects and events are different, the emotions are the same everywhere in the world.“

In its first season, One Love tackled the contrasting worldviews of two families, exploring their interactions and the characters’ reactions to unfolding events. It was the first time we saw the issues in Turkish society so openly in a TV series. Do you think the first season was challenging for audiences abroad in this respect?

Although the subjects and events are different, the emotions are the same everywhere in the world. The clash of different ideas, the criticism of different races, and the difficulties experienced by women exist and will continue to exist all over the world. One Love is so successful because it is a brave project. And our audiences abroad will find very deep and close traces of their own lives while watching a completely different world.

This exclusive interview with Ceren Karakoç was published in Episode’s MIPTV 2024 issue.