Devrim Özkan

Photo Source: arafta, goquest media

Devrim Özkan is a Turkish actress and national judo athlete. She acted in Rüya (Dream), Vatanım Sensin (Wounded Love, also: Merve), Vuslat (Beloved), Ramo (also: Murat, Esra, Cemre, Burcu & İlhan), Gelsin Hayat Bildiği Gibi (Let Life Come as It Knows/Another Chance, also: Nilsu Berfin Aktaş & Furkan Murat), Ne Gemiler Yaktım (Standing Together, also: Deniz Baysal), Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî (Rumi, also: Fırat Kaya), Mavi Mağara (Blue Cave, also: Kerem & Okan), Çift Kişilik Oda (Room For Love, King the Land Turkish Adaptation, also: Ulaş), P.A.Y. (also: Birkan, Cem & Kerem Can), Yeraltı (Underground, also: Sunay Kurtuluş, Ekin Aksoy, Hakan Çelebi, Nilay Erdönmez, Ekin Mert Daymaz, Burak Sevinç, Uraz, Deniz Can, Ülkü & Sümeyye) and more. Her digital series Her Şey Yolunda (Trans.: Everything is fine) is going to be released on Amazon Prime.

Facts:

• she and her sister grew up immersed in sports from an early age
  • she says that their parents raised them without strict gender roles, in a neighbourhood rich with community, close neighbourly ties, sincerity and both hard and good times, all of which shaped her character
  • fondly remembers playing street games as a child and wishes she could return to those days, even for a minute
• her decision to take a break from school and move to Istanbul became a turning point in her life
  • she says “I took the exam and passed it. Then I met my current manager, Nuray Saygınöz. I wanted to complete my education first and then enter the industry, but things didn’t unfold that way. I secretly attended countless auditions without my family knowing. Eventually, my first job was Rüya, but my family didn’t support my decision to leave school and move to Istanbul at just 18″
  • she didn’t give up on her dreams and moved to Istanbul alone with just a backpack, she says she can’t be modest about this, she considers herself a brave person and believed she could handle it
  • when she arrived, she didn’t have a single friend and didn’t know anyone
  • her first month or two were spent on ferries, she got lost in the streets to get to know Istanbul, met people, yet remained alone and she actually loves being alone
  • later, she adopted a cat and says she grew up there together with her
• she was a national judo athlete and at that time her life revolved entirely around sports
  • although theatre was always present in her life, occasionally performing in plays during elementary school, she had planned to continue her career in judo
  • however, when she truly discovered theatre in high school, she made the unforgettable decision to leave behind her seven-year sports career and say “I will become an actress”
• she greatly admires actors Çetin Tekindor, Zerrin Tekindor and Haluk Bilginer
• took on a leading role in her third project and, while she acknowledges luck, she believes she created her own through hard work
  • she emphasises that beauty alone is never enough, that fame and money are temporary and that true permanence comes from creating art rather than chasing fame
• believes people often see love only as a feeling between two people, but to her, love is everything; goals, one’s mother, faith, a painting that brings peace, a dog, a place you long for or a partner
  • however, when it comes to romantic relationships between a woman and a man, she says she has never been in love before and therefore sees it as something she can only truly understand by experiencing it
• she says that when she first started the industry at a very young age, she was afraid her character might change, but she no longer has that fear
  • her only concern now is being surrounded by undeserved fame, as she believes fame should come only if she is truly good at her work and wants to be remembered for what she does, not for anything else