Everything
Philosophical, grounded, funny and astute – this is the impression I’m left with as I press ‘end call’ after an hour-long Zoom chat with 31-year-old actor and producer Boran Kuzum. They’re not exactly the words I was expecting to use to introduce the flighty and somewhat flawed ‘hot chef’ I’d been watching on Netflix just hours earlier.
If you’ve seen the new Turkish drama series Thank You, Next, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Set against a stunning Istanbul backdrop, the TV series follows the lives of a group of friends, centred around Serenay, a lawyer who has just stepped out of a long-term relationship. Kuzum plays Feyyaz, one of three potential love interests for the show’s main protagonist, his character is the clear frontrunner; smooth and mysterious, cooking up a culinary storm in almost every scene, but then there’s his penchant for ghosting.
The show has hit Netflix’s top tens across the globe, and has been commissioned for a second series, it’s another success story for Kuzum to add to his ever-expanding CV – a big deal for someone who almost didn’t follow his acting dream, instead opting to study economics at home in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
“Growing up in Ankara sometimes feels like it’s not possible to get out, there’s a protective force keeping you in,” recalls Kuzum about feeling somewhat trapped there as a teen. “It’s probably because, to be honest, there is not many things to do.”
Ankara is home to the state opera and ballet, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra and numerous national theatre companies, it’s teeming with ancient and architectural sites, it has over 50 museums and hosts regular film and music festivals. “Yes, yes it’s culturally grown up, but that’s not a part of daily life for people.” Kuzum is probably right, a place that’s all about exhibition and occasion might be perfect for tourists and culture vultures – but less fun for a teenager, especially one who had access to the arts so readily at home. “I grew up with the smell of paint in my home because my father and mother were painting all the time, and my father was playing music at the same time too,” Kuzum recalls fondly. His father, Bora Kuzum was the deputy manager of Ankara State Theatre and his mother, Fatma Zehra is an artist.
Was it a kind of suffocation by the arts that drove him to study economy then? “No, a bad educational system,” Kuzum retorts matter-of-factly. “Even though my parents were artists, I didn’t realise that I could get a theatre education at university. I felt really stuck with that educational system, it forces you to do whatever it thinks is best for you, even though you, yourself, don’t know what you want to do at that young age.”
The academic trappings that Kuzum describes is what led him to enrol at Ankara Gazi University to study economics, but it was short-lived. “After a month, I realised that I still can’t even explain inflation. I had to quit,” he laughs. “At first, I couldn’t tell my parents. I was just leaving early in the morning for like a month, going to early cinema sessions to see a movie, or reading my book in a park.”
Kuzum also spent his newfound free time thinking about alternative career options, his mind wandering to school theatre productions he’d been part of growing up.
“I remember the first time I entered the stage in front of people at a very early age, I felt that excitement that I can never compare to anything else, and I wanted to strive for it throughout my life.”
He decided to switch up his studies and informed his parents, with them working in the arts themselves, did it make it a smoother dialogue to have? “They were super supportive, but no, that didn’t make it easier, because my mom struggled a lot as an artist and I think she wanted to protect me,” he recalls. “The first month or two she kept asking ‘are you sure you can’t just do it as a hobby?’” Boran has fond memories of the dialogue he had with his father, who sadly passed away three years ago. “My father was super supportive. He told me ‘This is your life and you can decide whatever you want, one piece of advice I’m going to give to you is; whatever you do in your life, try to be one of the best at what you’re doing’”.
Kuzum is his father’s son, since graduating from the theatre department of Istanbul University State Conservatory in 2015 with an acting major, he’s worked on some of Turkey’s top TV shows and films, he’s been nominated for, and won, countless national and international awards including Çorbada Tuzun Olsun and Bilkent TV Awards for Best Breakthrough Actor as well as E! Entertainment’s Best International Actor accolade. He’s also starred in ad campaigns for brands including Ford and Levis and is currently a brand ambassador for Cartier. Is his mother glad he swapped up his studies?
“She’s enjoying it more than me,” he laughs. “I don’t like the side of the job that means being in the public eye, but she’s always texting me when there’s news about the projects I’m on. I always invite her to my premieres. I used to take my father too before he passed away.”
Kuzum opens up a bit about life without his father. “Being an only child, I feel like I have to balance between my life, and also wanting to take care of my mom as much as I can,” he says honestly, before reflecting on whether the death of his father has strengthened the bond between mother and son further. “I was always close with my parents, and to be honest, when you ask, I actually realise that now. I don’t want to turn this into my therapy session (laughs) but yes, one-on-one, I have a communication with my mom now that is better than before.”
Kuzum has more to add when it comes to having dialogue with loved ones. “It’s everything. It’s very important, because I’m a very extrovert person when it comes to personal relationships, friendships, work relationships,” he says. “I have to tell and I have to also understand the opposite feeling. When I struggle with something about my personal relationships, I have to communicate, I have to talk immediately because otherwise, I can’t relieve myself. You have to tell your part and you have to be able to listen to the other person, so. I’m trying to be a better listener too.”
This ability to communicate well has been integral to many of Kuzum’s biggest achievements. This teamed with his capacity to keep a respectful dialogue going, plus a heavy dose of resilience, is what acquired the actor his ‘big break’ – a major on-screen role in the Turkish TV drama series Vatanım Sensin (Wounded Love).
“I heard about a project that was going to be directed by the Taylan brothers, who I really wanted to work with and I asked my manager to put me forward. But he was told that I wasn’t right for the project. I pushed him to try again,” recalls Kazum, who was eventually called in for a meeting. “The producer literally told me all the reasons that I can’t be on this show.” It sounds demoralising, but in order to keep the dialogue going, Kuzum countered every one of the reasons. Exhausted, the producer gave him a script and offered him an audition for the next day. The audition went well and Kazum returned for further auditions with other other potential members of the cast. Things seemed to be going in the right direction. “I got refused by the channel, they wanted to have someone more handsome and offered some other reasons too.” he laughs. “I asked for another meeting with the directors, and told them that if I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t be there. I pushed them. I was young and more courageous back then.” The enduring dialogue eventually paid off. “I convinced them!”
Kuzum played a Greek lieutenant called Leon in Wounded Love, the show spanned three series over three years, and with 59 episodes in total, each over two hours long, the filming schedule was relentless. The role undoubtably changed Kuzum’s career trajectory, and indeed his life, but he was in desperate need of a break.
“It was too much work, imagine you have to do that every week, you have no life, and it kills creativity after a certain point. It was an amazing project, but after it finished I was 25 or 26, and I realised that I didn’t want to spend my life like that,” he says candidly, “And for me, it’s important to be able to play different characters. I want to be different people in every different project, so I decided not to do a long TV series again, but do movies or short series, like Netflix projects, instead, so I can also live my life. I wanted to keep that balance between my life and my job.”
Fast forward a few of those films and short series and we arrive at Thank You, Next.
“This one is one of the most fun things I’ve done because of the cast members, we were already friends. Sometimes, it felt like a reality show, it felt very relaxed,” explains Kuzum. “And the subject matter is something that everyone can relate with. I was sure that it was going to be a big success, that it was going to reach everywhere, people from all around the world.”
He’s not wrong, Thank You, Next has been dubbed into 12 languages to increase its reach. “Sometimes, I hear my part dubbed, and I’m like ‘Oh, he sounds better than me actually, like the one in Spanish,” laughs Kuzum, who speaks English, French and Turkish, and is familiar with the global attention that comes with dubbing, Wounded Love went through the same treatment. “It was airing from Latin America to Eastern Europe to the Middle East, in a lot of places, I was hearing myself dubbed in different languages!”
Wounded Love was a big hit with audiences across the Middle East and the popularity of Thank You, Next seems to be following in the footsteps of its predecessor. Kuzum has picked up an abundance of Arab fans, evidenced by the Arabic comments that fill the spaces under his Instagram posts. Has he noticed?
“Yeah, of course, I’m aware because it’s more than Turkish or English comments,” he laughs. “And I very much appreciate it!” Kuzum wows to see more of the Middle East, as well as return to Dubai after the overwhelming welcome he received from fans on a recent trip. “The Arab fans love the shows, I think it’s because we have a similar culture,” explains Kuzum who is also looking into English-speaking roles “That’s what I’m working on right now, I’m taking accent classes and I’m taking different workshops to be able to play in English, that’s the goal.”
And is there a type of character that he still longs to play? “I actually feel more comfortable playing parts that are different to myself,” he admits. Maybe a baddie? “When there is a good script, every human act, whether we say that it’s a good act or a bad act, has a reason behind it, and that’s the power of our job, to show that. You don’t have to make people empathise when there is something terrible happening but you can show the human flaws and the psychological ups and downs. That’s the thing that I feel most powerful about this job, and why I want to explore different characters.”
Kuzum agrees that the character’s dialogue is key to the portrayal but it doesn’t work on its own. “The charter is in the writing, in the script of course, but it is very collective work building a character, from the writer, director, actor, the hair and makeup, the character’s costumes. When you miss a piece of the puzzle, it’s not the same,” he explains. “For me, it’s very important to decide what I’m wearing for that character, and even how he wears it, how would he wear a certain jacket for example. It’s a big part for me.”
Kuzum is quite keen to help out on dialogue tweaks too. “When there is a good read in dialogues, you don’t have to try to do anything more as an actor. But I will get involved if I think I should, and over the years, it’s getting more so that way. Unfortunately, it’s stressing my managers sometimes,” he laughs. But being able to have a dialogue with his directors can lead to new ideas he explains. “I feel like there’s not a stable truth in anything, that every idea is precious, but also, if we listen, that Idea can evolve to be even better,” he follows up with an example. “Sometimes when I work with a director, they don’t want to listen to what you can bring to the table but sometimes they will have a dialogue, and it shouldn’t have to be true what I’m saying, or it shouldn’t have to be true what they are saying, but we can evolve together. Maybe my idea is not their truth, but it can open something in their mind.”
Kuzum has beautifully described the power of dialogue and the importance of discussion.
“Sometimes you can’t communicate with everyone like that but, I think it’s very important to respect other people’s truths because we have different lives, we have different mindsets, we have our own experiences. That’s your truth, this is mine. But neither is a constant truth overall.”
His comments not only show his considered approach to his work but also his desire to be more creatively involved in the work he does. “Last year, I was a co-producer of a movie that I actually also starred in. It’s not comfortable to produce, when you’re actually acting in it but I really enjoyed it, and to be honest, I can’t wait to do more producing,” says Kuzum, about his role in the film The House With No Address, before going into more detail. “I was taking care of the music choices, the music arrangements, the colours, the scripts and the styling.”
I point out that Kuzum seems drawn to the styling of a character. “I like fashion. For me, it’s another creative portal, also an expressive portal, you can show your mood with what you’re wearing,” says Kuzum, who lists Cartier and Saint Laurent as two of his go-to brands due to their timeless nature. “I try to keep up with what’s happening in the world of fashion but, also I want to keep it for myself and be able to wear whatever makes me feel better or happy. I love to wear black, it fits everywhere.” Kuzum is wearing a relaxed-fit black jumper as we chat, he hunts for the label to find the brand but has no joy, but the rolled-up sleeves and messy hairdo fit his chilled mood, and when he pops on a pair of chunky Celine sunglasses and confirms “I love sunglasses,” the relaxed look is perfectly complete.
Kuzum is no stranger to good styling, his diary is filled with red-carpet events and magazine shoots, does the marketing element of his job come naturally to him? “I am uncomfortable to be honest. I hate looking into the camera, because when we are shooting something like a movie, we are used to forgetting about the camera, and when I’m looking into the camera, I feel so unprotected,” he admits, but he’s found a way of coping. “When I do a photo shoot now, I make it about a character and about a mood.”
Kuzum is clearly not an attention seeker, he seeks a quiet life away from the public eye, but how does that work when you’re being recognised everywhere you go, millions of social media followers are watching your every move, when one TikTok slow motion video alone, showing him unbuttoning a military jacket and getting on a horse, can garner nearly 15 million views? “By not looking,” he smiles, explaining that it’s part of his attempt to stay grounded. “I never want to lose myself inside of that bubble, because that bubble can crash anytime. I want to stay on the ground as much as possible.” He also has crushing news for his management team who are listening in to our call. “I just turned off my Twitter account, surprise! ” he laughs. “It’s a relief. It’s amazing. It distracts me. I feel like finally, in my life, I have found the balance of separating my love, my life, and my job, social media stops me from keeping my feet on the ground.”
And being in Milan is also part of his strategy to stay under the radar. “The reason I’m here and I’m not in Istanbul, is to have a normal life, I love to go to the grocery store, do the shopping, walk to the gym, do normal things, like ride a bicycle and use public transport.” So, does he now live in Milan? “That’s a good question, because I don’t know where I live. I feel like a nomad because I’m everywhere. I have a house in Istanbul, I have a house in Paris and I was going in between. Then I came to Milan last year and I love the city. It’s more chill, I can do normal stuff here,” he says, before explaining why being almost anonymous is so important.
“You can be closer to the human stories, and it’s going to be easier for you to tell human stories when you’re in front of the camera. I want to do things where I can reach out to more people and more cultures. I’m doing this job for people, not for myself. Yes, I love my job, but in the end, I feel like we are a piece of a society and everyone has a duty, you have to give something to the system, and I feel like in the arts, we are showing people different perspectives of life, different feelings.”
Kuzum is also keen to share these different perspectives outside of his acting, he’s worked with UNICEF and UN Women to amplify their campaigns, he’s helped fundraise for his local Leukaemia charity and most recently he was part of an event with the non-profit organisation The AEM Association, who help to feed and educate children in Rwanda. “I love doing this work, it’s one of the best things that comes from being in the public eye, being able to help others and I really want to do a lot more. The work I did with the leukaemia charity meant a lot, especially after losing my father because of cancer.”
Kuzum is a good guy, and he’s also a continuously busy guy, but he’s currently reading scripts for season two of Thank You, Next ahead of filming, and having a bit of downtime. “When I have free time, I watch everything, from good movies to cheesy TV series, to some trashy reality shows,” he laughs, then admits: “I actually watch Dubai Bling and Selling The OC!”
Such lavish displays of wealth and desire for fame might entertain Kuzum, but it’s not a life he desires for himself. “I want to stay grounded,” he laughs. “I feel like I spent all my 20s doing this job and it was not easy for me, because I don’t really like fame or being in the public eye.” But he knows he needs to find a compromise and he seems to be getting there. “I love what I do, so I had to find a balance. And now, I’m striving for a constant peace, which you can never reach in your life, because one day is not like the other one. But I’m trying.”
Creative Direction: Dané Stojanovic
Fashion Director: Anna Castan
Photography: Mattia Guolo
Grooming: Kilian Marin
Nail Artist: Rosi Viana
Light Assistant: Manfredi Prestigiacomo
Digital Assistant: Alessia Azzolini
Fashion Assistant: Christian Marchesich
Comunications Manager: Johana V. Dana
Words: Devinder Bains
THIS FEATURE IS PUBLISHED IN THE 2nd issue OF ICON mena PRINT MAGAZINE. ORDER YOUR COPY HERE.
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