On The Edge of Glory with Büşra Develi
We’re with Büşra Develi. “At last,” I think as someone we wish to see on screen is reaching quickly for the top. She has fit a lot in her 2.5-year-long career…
Popular TV shows like Tatlı Küçük Yalancılar and Fi, successful movies like Ayla and Hadi Be Oğlum, a brand-new TV series Mehmed, counting down for Arada which is the first punk movie in Turkey, and becoming a part of Istanbul Film Festival with Bitmiş Aşklar Müzesi. She works hard but never complains and is aware of where she is in the industry and her responsibilities. How many people are there that we both admire their acting and see the elegant luxury we miss so much? Only one name comes to mind and we cannot wait to introduce you to her!
Nowadays, people cannot seem to make a distinction between wanting to be an actor and to be on screen. How does this affect your perspective on acting?
Today, being famous is regarded as a standard of success in every field. I don’t agree with this because concepts like popularity and fame are usually not about content but about form. There are many talented people who you never hear about. Wanting to be on screen can be preferred as a way to increase one’s status but I think it’s easy to distinguish between people who want that and don’t. The world is moving in that direction and it’s supported and fed by social media as well. I’m just curious to see where it will take us. After all, it’s a preference and I don’t judge it.
Do you think acting brings along an intrinsic need for attention?
Acting is a profession that is meaningless unless it meets the audience and naturally needs other people. But I think we shouldn’t regard the majority’s consensus as the only sign of success in this industry. As to needing attention, I think it’s about personality. Do you want your work to attract attention or who you are? This is a definitive factor. I don’t think it’s right to generalize that actors are in need of attention.
How do you see the relationship between the search for identity and acting?
Rather than a search for identity, I think your profession becomes a part of who you are not just in acting but in general. Humans look for a field that will define them and become a part of them all their lives. That’s how we go on albeit it’s debatable how healthy it is.
We know you judge yourself with a perfectionist view. How would you define it? What does perfectionism mean for you?
Perfectionism is one of the hardest feelings in the world. And it creates this useless tension us humans who can never be perfect. Most of the time, it takes the fun out of things because, at some point, you begin to live what should be not what is. But mostly it’s been a driving force in my life and helped me pursue things that I could do best. I’m trying to soften the edges a bit. I’m learning.
We can define being active on social media as offering strangers the right to say something about our lives. What would you like to say about this?
There’s no doubt that social media has earned itself a serious role in the society in a very short time. If we were to shut it all down, I think the society would fall into a sort of emptiness which is not a lovely thought. Unfortunately, I’m lenient on having a pessimistic point of view in these sorts of things. I don’t like the time it takes from us or the information and the focus it gives us. But social media has become a part of our lives. I try to use it as little and useful as possible and regard it as a way to communicate with people, to observe what is going on around the world.
To what extent is being famous affecting your relationship with the world?
It has affected me more than I expected. My communication with the world got scarcer and it limited my desire to hide and observe the stories of other people whenever I wanted. But I try to keep these habits alive because they nourish me in more ways than one.
You were forced to choose between a professional education in acting and becoming an actress. You suspended your study and started to experience this profession yourself. How did this happen? And would you choose the same today?
I was kind of forced to make this choice because I had to earn money due to family and personal problems and didn’t have that much time. This being the situation, I would make the same choice today, sure.
Adaptation projects, web series, TV productions, period dramas, independent cinema, short films, feature-length projects and theater… You’ve fit a lot of experience in your nearly 2.5-year-long acting career. How do you regard the dynamics of the industry?
This actually wasn’t the pacing I wanted or planned. I believe that you need to take some time for everything in life, especially if it’s something like acting that improves in time. But I was offered projects I couldn’t refuse and I had no other choice! (laughs) Compared to how long I’ve been in the industry, I’ve experienced and learned a lot but I cannot say that this accelerated professional experience has been easy for me. But looking back, I believe that the best years of our lives are those we spend fighting for something. I’ve lived a life filled with fights, not all of them ended in victory but I’ve learned so much. And I love it. I love fighting for something.
You said, “Whatever your job is, it cannot be more tiring than working on a TV series set.” Can you tell us a routine day on the set and what goes on behind the camera?
It’s like a living organism. You learn in time how to position yourself and exist in it besides acting. It’s like evolution. Whatever the conditions, you need to learn to adapt. Most of the time, it requires you to be fast and practical in every way.
Which branches of art feed your acting?
Everything. If you’re acting, you need to be interacting with all aspects of art and life. Philosophy, psychology, painting, politics, literature, history, languages and many more… Everything that nourishes you as a person nourishes you as an actor because the more you know, the richer is your acting. At some point, you may even have to forget about everything you know.
Do you think that people today attach too much meaning to objects?
I think it was a bit more common in the past because objects were precious back then. Now, with mass production, it’s lost that value and become common.
I think it was a bit more common in the past because objects were precious back then. Now, with mass production, it’s lost that value and become common.
Exactly! We started perceiving the world in that way. Looking at how happy people are in general, we see that there’s a growing desire to own more and a sense of emptiness that comes along with it. I suggest you read the lovely story “Tüneldeki Çocuk” by Sait Faik. There’s a line in it that I always remind myself: “Nothing is too much for these people.”
What does luxury mean for you?
Status and the need for comfort.
How would you define being in the moment?
Getting rid of past delusions and fears of the future.
Your plans for the near future?
Seeing new places and sharing things with people whose lives are way different than mine.
Bits and pieces
Belief?
A need.
Courage?
Advance.
Selfishness?
Not always a bad thing.
Passion?
The fire that burns inside you.
Loyalty?
The sense of trust it brings along.
Risk?
Courage!