Interview: Evrim Alasya and Sıla Türkoğlu in ‘One Love’

Can we manage to live without interfering in other people’s lives and give them justice? Could we be looking at some matters from the wrong perspective? Productions that succeed in making us ask ourselves these questions and discuss them always stand out. This is why everybody talks about One Love. While watching two families with completely different lifestyles trying to understand each other, we find a piece of ourselves.

We present to you our interview with popular series One Love’s successful actresses, Evrim Alasya and Sıla Türkoğlu.

Evrim Alasya

You play the character Kıvılcım in One Love, one of the most talked about shows of this year. Did you expect the series to be talked about this much? One Love is a series that emphasize different lifestyles of two combined families and their conflicts. How did you feel when you first read the script, did it make you nervous in any way?

I accepted this role because it had a certain edge to it. The series points a finger to our main social issue. It is a matter that we cannot seem to overcome and we constantly fight about it just because we are looking at things the wrong way. With this story being told, I think it will make everyone confront themselves, understand the lives of those they are biased against and empathise with them. Because we live in a society that does not exactly know how to empathise with others. Everybody is too busy with ‘themselves’. This project excited me a lot in that sense. It is a series that demonstrates that everyone is in the same place with their vulnerabilities, fears and frustrations as human beings. Maybe it’ll allow us to learn to pay justice to others, who knows!

I think the negative feedback after the first episode decreased as the episodes continued… What did the initial reactions make you think?

Yes, because we are all biased. People wrote so many offending things to me judging from just a trailer! How easy it is for everyone to rip the other person apart! I realised how biased and cruel we are towards each other. Unfortunately, people are too numb to realise the damage they cause with their words. Can you imagine what would happen if I replied in that manner? I wish us all a little common sense.

Kıvılcım is a very tough character. She has her own biases, norms and rules. How would you describe Kıvılcım? If you were to give her a friendly advice, what would it be?

Kıvılcım is a woman with rules. She tries to maintain her lifestyle with certain rules. If she does not set those rules she fears that the standart in her life and her work will be disrupted. But it is inevitable. This situation applies to all of us. Kıvılcım is being challenged with all the things she were biased against. Like all of us! We are witnessing her smooth her rough edges.

I think One Love  is the very first project that really portrays the lifestyle of conservative characters and families. Can you think of any other series similar to this?

I played a character like this in Kırmızı Oda before this. I mean a character who was conservative. Other than that I do not recall watching anything like this, I mean we are just now facing this situation as a society. We have marginalised each other a lot. You start to see it as you age. For these reasons, I think this confrontation is a also a sign of improvement.

You play Sıla Türkoğlu’s mother in the series. Sıla is a promising young actress. How does your relationship look like?

Sıla is a very young and immaculate woman. She is also a very good actress. I think she will get better because she is so open to everything. I adore her very much. She is so well-mannered and mature for her age that I cannot say enough about her. I enjoy working with her very much. If these were not my sincerest feelings no one would’ve made me say these things. I am just as tough as Kıvılcım in these situations.

Is it really this difficult for two people from such different backgrounds and families to be together?

I think it is very difficult. It is difficult for two people to even live together if they are biased against each other, think about a whole family! We have all experienced this in our way.

One Love is essentially a family and women’s drama. It also says a lot about generational conflicts and the relationship between mother and child. In the series the younger people seem to be more open-minded. Nursema’s change of behaviour also important. What do you think One Love stands for?

Our main focus is very clear: Human. Acting is about human beings. All shape and form of human beings… Our purpose is to show what is behind the visible, the real state of people. We see their real selves, connect and empatise with every character in this show. We follow them through all their different dimensions. After all, we realise that we are all at the same place in life, struggling with the same issues and the most importantly, we confront how we are stuck in the same mindset. Facing your reality is very important.

Sıla Türkoğlu

One Love is a series that tells the story of two combined families with different lifestyles and their conflicts. How did you feel after reading the script for the first time, did it make you nervous at all?

I think we were all aware that it was going to be talked about a lot. Either it was going to be a hit or it was going to get a lot of negative feedback. Of course it made us a little anxious but even though it is denied, there have been times when we have all faced discrimination in some way in this society. Being a part of a project that emphasize a common issue we all experience was the exciting part for me.

Doğa is an ideal character and someone without biases.  What do you think about Doğa? Do you think there is any similarities between yourself and her?

Doğa is in her 20s. She is an intelligent and strong woman with aspirations. At first she was blinded by love but I think she is now more conscious. I think we are now witnessing her motherhood more than her relationship. I always think that the characters we play does not come to us by coincidence. I see similar feelings between me and Doğa. She doesn’t let anyone opress her, she knows to question things rather than accepting them and so do I. Neither of us are tough-minded people, we rely more on our emotions.

Doğa and Fatih’s relationship is full of problems even tough they love each other vey much. Dou you really think it id this difficult for people like them to be together? Could you be in a relationship that your family didn’t approve of?

We are the ones who create the problems. If we would stop judging and learn to respect one another, we wouldn’t have this kinds of issues. Differences may be good in a relationship if we manage to find a common ground. Otherwise it can be a bit challenging. In my family there is always respect for personal life. I have never been in a situation where my parents went against my wishes or pressure me into something I did not want. So I guess I don’t have an answer to this question.

The series has a large audience from different backgrounds. I have also seen very positive comments from conservative women. For example, comments where they ask Doğa to act like someone she is not. One Love seems to contribute to the society talking about such issues in a open and calmly manner…

Yes, there is some people who say that. “You’re a part of a new family, of course you’ll try to fit in!”  There is no right or wrong. That’s why we need such conflicts to find our own truth. That’s what we are trying to get across. We are happy if we people can learn something from the series.

How is your relationship with your partner in the show, Doğukan Güngör? What does your work enviroment look like?

Doğukan and I always held respect for each other. Therefore we formed a friendship where we understand each other. We got along even better over time. We spend a lot of time together in our daily life too. The whole team gets along great, so our time on set is very fun.

Is it exciting to work with Evrim Alasya? Gen Z is known for being hard to excite, that’s why I’m asking.

She was an actress I always admired. Playing her daughter excited and scared me at first. But I’m glad I’m working with her. Evrim is a amazing woman. It’s very rewarding to feel her support both on and off the stage. I think we found a good harmony.