Selin Türkmen on ‘Loveberry’ and Her Role as Aslı – Exclusive Interview

Loveberry is actually the story of an educated, urban woman who stands on her own feet, and her family. What were the aspects of Loveberry that impressed you the most and made you want to accept the project?

Selin Türkmen: I’ve always loved listening to and watching stories about strong women. When I first read the script for Loveberry, the fact that it centered on a strong woman immediately drew me in. Each character has their own perspective on life and their own strengths. Just like in real life, the siblings are very different from each other, each with distinct traits. The father’s attitude toward his daughters also plays a significant role in shaping these differences. As for Aslı, I was really impressed by how she’s educated, independent, and the least affected by her father’s pressure, making her a more free-spirited character.

Aslı is the sister who empathizes most with Zuhal, sees how trapped she feels, and tries to give her space to breathe. How would you describe your character?

Selin Türkmen: Aslı is a calm, easygoing, positive, and free-spirited woman. She’s someone who can stand on her own, puts love at the center of her life, but can also act rationally when necessary. She is able to share a very close, almost friend-like bond with her sister Zuhal. Since she accepts people as they are, she has a good sense of how they’ll react to situations, which gives her a general sense of acceptance toward life.

Aslı found out she was being cheated on the day she was supposed to get married and canceled the wedding. She went through a great heartbreak. On one hand, she’s confronting how much she compromised for her relationship with Alp and Rezzan, while on the other, she is expected to notice Bora. What do you think Aslı is learning about love and life?

Selin Türkmen: Aslı’s five-year relationship ends in a devastating disappointment. During this time, she probably faced issues with Rezzan and Alp as well, but when things got serious, Rezzan’s pressure on Aslı increased even more. Alp, on the other hand, took Aslı’s love for granted, assuming he could behave comfortably. When I empathize with the character, I feel tremendous pain because Aslı isn’t just losing a person, she’s also having to let go of five years’ worth of memories. On the other hand, there’s Bora, who has pure feelings for Aslı. She’s known him for a long time and considers him a very good friend. However, the moment she realizes that Bora has saved her life, he becomes much more than just a friend and starts to hold a much deeper meaning for her.

Loveberry is a series that effectively portrays how even educated and working urban women can give up on living their own lives due to the dynamics within a household. It also features a strong family drama. Where do you think Loveberry resonates most with the audience?

Selin Türkmen: I think the story captures the audience right at this point. Every family has its own story, of course. But when you look at some families from the outside, you see strong and happy women but when you delve deeper into their family life, you witness a true drama unfolding. In the series, we see the struggle of women trying to find themselves in male-dominated families.

I really enjoyed watching the four sisters, their relationship with each other, as well as following each of their individual journeys. The chemistry between you, İrem Helvacıoğlu, Aslı İnandık, and Ebrar Karabakan is so strong. You also share very emotionally intense scenes. How is the set going?

Selin Türkmen: The four of us got along really well from the rehearsal period. We had many opportunities to get together and rehearse our scenes in advance, so we didn’t have any trouble finding our chemistry. We have so much fun on set; when one of us smiles, the other bursts into laughter automatically. Love all three of them; they’ve really become like sisters to me. Not only do we have great chemistry as sisters, but we’ve also built a great bond with the other actors and crew. I’m really happy to be on this set.

Loveberry will be introduced to the world at one of the most important content markets, MIPCOM. What would you like to say to your viewers in Türkiye and around the world?

Selin Türkmen: It’s incredibly exciting and a true honor that Loveberry will meet a global audience on such an important platform as MIPCOM. I hope that the stories, cultural richness, and strong female characters from Türkiye will also capture international attention. With its universal themes, I believe Loveberry could resonate not only in Türkiye but with viewers all around the world. I hope that as people watch this powerful story, they’ll find something that speaks to their own lives and form a connection with the characters. I hope Loveberry will cross borders with its universal values and appeal to a wide audience.

This interview with Selin Türkmen was featured in Episode Magazine’s MIPCOM 2024 issue.