Interview with Turkish Actress Gizem Sensel
BREAKAWAY DAILY: You have been acting since the age of six, how did you catch the acting bug?
GIZEM: I can say that I was really curious about everything back then, especially when it came to the entertainment business, I was really confident and happy mostly in singing and acting. They always felt like home. I was the “funny but weird” one in the class. I wasn’t popular or anything in fact, I was a really quiet student. I first discovered that our school had an acting course by my best friend. She encouraged me to join the club. First I was hesitant and shy, then I said yes and my journey started like that.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
You graduated from the prestigious Istanbul Kultur University, Faculty of Art and Design – Cinema/TV Acting Dramatic Arts in 2010. Why was it important for you to get the education needed to pursue your dream? Was this you first choice of schools to attend and how did you enjoy your time there?
GIZEM:
I always wanted to study arts and get a good degree from it. I’ve never imagined myself doing or studying something I dislike, it’d feel like torture. I wanted to study and experiment everything about acting. Because I believe when you’re in school you can automatically concentrate on your work because of the environment and your classmates. And yes, university was my first choice. Time passed really fast in university actually with my favorites being theatre rehearsals and opera lessons. If I had a time machine, I would definitely go back.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
What do you think is unique about being an artist (actor, singer, director) in Turkey, as opposed to being an artist elsewhere?
GIZEM:
Nothing actually. It’s the same. All I can say is that TV series are the main priority in entertainment business in the last few years, so people started to forsake theatre. And that’s the bad news in my opinion.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
What are some of your favorite films and/or musicians?
GIZEM:
Favorite films are; Submarine and The Double. Musicians and composers would be; W.A. Mozart, The Distillers and Queen.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
Can you describe the short film you directed and starred in, “Killing Time?”
GIZEM:
Killing Time is a post-apocalyptic short film. It is about a female Russian soldier who wants to kill the time literally.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
You are working on another short titled R.E.D, what can you tell us about that?
GIZEM:
It’s an experimental short film about the relationship between a new born android and her maker.
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
BREAKAWAY DAILY:
What else are you working on next and what are you goals for the future?
GIZEM:
I’m currently working on another short film project called Lost At Sea. I would like to continue my theatre studies in England in the future. I would like to be really active in the future and work with some of my idols and spread the pure nature of acting to the world.
