Interview with the director of the film Paper Lives Сan Ulkay
Сan Ulkay
The director of the film Paper Lives / Kagittan Hayatlar, Can Ulkay, was interviewed by Ekranom publication, talking about his journey in Turkish cinema, as well as his work on the latest project that made a splash on Netflix.
The journalist asked what he thought about the criticism of the choice of Çağatay Ulusoy for the role of Mehmet Ali. Some felt that his appearance did not fit the image of a garbage collector. However, the director categorically disagrees with this approach. In his opinion, it is wrong to evaluate an actor by his appearance. It is necessary to erase from memory all his previous roles and approach the assessment of new work from scratch. Çağatay revealed the soul of his character. It is absurd to say that his appearance is not suitable for the role when his acting skills, his emotions, his total dedication have been so highly appreciated all over the world. Viewers should get used to the fact that the actors change for the role. Not only Çağatay, but also other actors must expand the boundaries of their talent in order to be able to open up and show their skills to the whole world. The way he played the character, the way he transformed himself deserves the highest praise.
Can Ulkay and Çağatay Ulusoy
Can Ulkay said that they created the character together, they dreamed, they thought over the details. They not only practiced acting techniques, but also consulted with doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers and real garbage collectors. There were a lot of rehearsals. It took a lot of work to make the role work. As a result, we all saw how Çağatay created a completely new personage on the screen. Of course, it is difficult for viewers to get used to seeing him in such a role, but they will have to get used to the fact that he is primarily an actor.
The director admitted that he is very pleased with the film’s results. The whole team worked selflessly in the face of the pandemic and this should be remembered. He appreciates the fact that the audience does not forget about the conditions in which the film crew worked. And the result fully justified the efforts. For 3 weeks the film was # 1 in Turkey. It entered the top 10 Netflix films in 62 countries and remains at the top Netflix worldwide till now. At the moment, the movie is in the 16th place among the most popular Netflix films for 2021. Could there be a more valuable result than such recognition from the audience? Let’s not just look at this as the success of one movie, one director, or one actor. These numbers are, first, important for the entire Turkish cinema.
Can Ulkay and Çağatay Ulusoy
Congratulating Can Ulkay on his success, the journalist asked about his future plans. According to the director, he is starting work on the series on one of the digital platforms. It will be followed by another film for the platform, followed by a movie dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Republic of Turkey, which will be released in theaters. This will happen in two years.
In general, Can Ulkay is confident that the need for content has grown in the era of the pandemic, and the Turkish film industry has been able to reorient itself towards producing projects for digital platforms. And this has had a positive impact on the sector. The Turkish film industry is strong, capable of producing many projects and of high quality. The sector should develop not only towards business, but also towards improving quality. This is important for Turkey’s international recognition as a film power. Platforms will remain in our lives, but very soon we will be back in cinemas as well.
