Turkish Actor Can Yaman: I’ve messed up many times in my career, but I’ve had time to grow and bounce back...

The actor stars in El Turco, the first Turkish production filmed in English, and opens up about his recent arrest in Istanbul: “I was warned that the police did those kinds of things, but I wanted to go back to Turkey anyway; I have nothing to hide.”

Can Yaman (Istanbul, 36) arrives in a black jacket, black trousers, and a black shirt with several buttons undone. He poses for a quick, smiling photo before sitting down to talk. His first order of business is ensuring the journalist has actually seen the series he is promoting in Madrid: El Turco (available on Movistar Plus+). It is a six-episode Turkish super-production filmed in English, a project in which the actor decisively breaks away from his usual "heartthrob" roles in romantic comedies. Having become one of the most famous Turkish actors internationally through series like Erkenci Kus: Daydreamer and Sandokan, Yaman spent Thursday attending to the Spanish press and appearing on the talk show El Hormiguero.

His visit comes just days after making headlines for being detained in Istanbul—and released shortly after—during a police raid at a nightclub. He has no qualms about discussing the incident, though he avoids questions regarding the broader Turkish television industry. Having lived in Italy for six years, he is focused on a new direction for his career. As he explained a few months ago on the show La Revuelta, he has been learning Spanish for over a year—he is currently filming a series in Spain—and he conducts the interview in that language. Expressions like "meter la gamba" (to mess up) or "petarlo" (to nail it/hit it big) used in the following lines are his own.

Question: El Turco is based on the true story of a Turkish soldier who, after escaping a death sentence, takes refuge in the Italian Alpine village of Moena and becomes its protector. Do you identify with him?

Can : When I received the script, I found it very ironic, considering I moved to Italy and started working there myself... The series is from an exceptional Turkish production company; I had dreamed of working with them, but I couldn't when I lived in Turkey because they didn't do romantic comedies. It’s ironic that they found me with this story now that I work in Italy. It’s a true story about a hero who has to leave the Ottoman Empire and falls in love with an Italian girl in a small Italian town. In a way, as you say, it mirrors my own life story.

Q: Do you see this as a turning point in your career?

Can: Yes, it was important because it was the first project I filmed in English. I was supposed to film Sandokan first, but since that was delayed, I shot El Turco beforehand. It’s the first project in Turkey entirely recorded in English. Because of that, the Turkish industry and the production company saw it as something exceptional. They gave it a lot of weight because they were filming with an international cast, in English, in another country… all those dynamics made it very special for them and for me. It was a challenge; the whole team was aware that it had to be excellent. They did everything possible to make sure we’d nail it.

Q: Turkish series are a total phenomenon in Spain. Why do you think they are so popular here?

Can:  I don't know; I've answered that question many times. I left Turkey six years ago; I don't do Turkish soap operas in that way anymore. El Turco was an exception—six chapters, not a soap opera with a thousand episodes. It's in English; they wanted to do something of an international caliber, not a "Turkish telenovela." That aspect of the series excited us because we were breaking out of the routine. That was my goal: to grow, to try other things. Perhaps it’s a disadvantage for the audience because there aren't many episodes, so it won't create a year-long viewing habit. El Turco is intense; you binge-watch it and it’s over. I’m proud to have done something of this level with a Turkish producer. This way, we can show the world that other nations—Turkish, Italian, Spanish—can reach that same level of quality.

Q: You mentioned wanting to move forward and leave soap operas behind. Do you think your physical appearance can be a hurdle for that?

Can:  It’s a problem for American actors, too. But my luck is that I did a lot of romantic comedies in my 20s. I had a lot of training, filming many episodes over many years. I "messed up" many times, but I had time to grow and recover. Those 10 years of working that way in Turkey helped me grow immensely. Few actors with this physique do that, because they usually start with action series. I started with romantic comedies, but they aren't "soap operas." People call them that because there are so many episodes, but they are romantic comedies where you do everything: love, comedy, action, drama… it’s a mix. You get used to interpreting many things. That’s why I felt ready to step out of my comfort zone and try other genres. By the time I turned 30, I felt ready for action, for epic series like Sandokan or El Turco, and for other languages, because I had the benefit of a multilingual education from childhood. I had to take advantage of that trait.

Q: El Turco touches on the influence of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. Turkish series, in a way, send political and cultural messages about Turkey itself… [Interrupts the question]

Can:  You’re asking me many things about Turkish series, but I’ve lived in Italy for six years and I don’t do soap operas anymore. I’m not a representative for Turkish series, so whatever you ask me about that, I don't know. I’ve lived in Italy for six years and I only film in different languages. I stopped filming Turkish soap operas, so I’m far removed from that. I don’t know.

Q: Fair enough. What do you find more difficult: filming action scenes or emotional ones? There is plenty of both in El Turco…

Can:  Everything was hard, because El Turco was six episodes where I had to give everything with extreme intensity. We couldn’t afford a "filler" scene that didn't contribute anything, so every scene was intense on both a physical and emotional level. But, even though I was constantly getting injured and was in pain from the physical scenes, the emotional scenes were much more exhausting for me. Plus, it was freezing.

Q: Now you are filming a series in Spain. How is that experience going?

Can:  It was my decision to come to Spain, learn Spanish, and start working here. It’s a dream come true. We started filming our series, The Labyrinth of the Butterflies, in Tenerife. The second phase will continue in Madrid. I’m happy to be in Madrid because I wanted to see what the "vibe" of the city is like to plan my future—maybe one day I’ll live here.

Q: You mentioned on Instagram a few days ago, regarding the news of your detention in Istanbul, that the press in your country is hard on you. In what sense? Are actors persecuted in Turkey?

Can:  Well, we’re used to it. I had three weeks of Christmas vacation and I wanted to go back to Istanbul. I already knew the situation in Turkey was like that, that the police did those things—I was warned—but even so, I wanted to go because why not? I have nothing to hide. I had a great time for those three weeks, but something had to happen to cancel out that good feeling, something to spoil it. Otherwise, I would have almost wanted to stay there, and I couldn't allow myself that [laughs].

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