Can Yaman: On the Importance of Education, the Value of Love and Friendship, His Vindications, and His Dreams

On the very day he was besieged by yet another rumor regarding his love life, Can Yaman responded with a beautiful interview in which he opened up and allowed himself to be truly known—almost as if to distance himself from the idle chatter and invite the world to focus on substance instead.

Yaman offered an internal narrative, stripped of superficiality, which unfolded during his twenty-five-minute appearance at Vanity Fair Stories on Sunday afternoon, November 23, in Milan. The conversation spanned from the present—specifically the Sandokan remake arriving on Rai1 screens in a week—to what is essentially his life project: the quest to remain eternally young in spirit, despite the passing years.

Below are some of the salient highlights from the interview.

Similarities with Sandokan and the Love of Family

Can Yaman: "I have never felt the need to compete with others."

"Sandokan is a positive hero, a good hero who does not attack, does not enter into competition, and does not seek conflict. Like Sandokan, I have never had the need or the necessity to compete with others or compare myself to them. If you grow up with an education, you can have a hundred kilos of muscle and you will never hurt anyone; but if you grow up with inferiority complexes because your family did not educate you, those hundred kilos can become a weapon used with malice. I don't need to be aggressive to prove things; I use kindness, compassion, or humility. The characters I play teach me so much; they improve me when I study them. I learn from them, too."

On the love received from his parents:

"Fortunately, I grew up with so much love from my mother and my father. They always coddled and loved me; they cared about my education and the schools I attended. I grew up with balance, both mentally and physically. I didn't grow up with major traumas, and I think this made me a good person. When success arrived, I didn't need to compensate for any lacks because I didn't have any voids; I was never traumatized during childhood, so I didn't have to recover from anything. At the root of bullying is suffering. Surely, at the root of the lives of violent people, there is suffering; they must have felt small, and now they have this need to hurt others to feel strong. But it is very wrong."

Love and Friendship

Can Yaman: "In love, I give one hundred percent."

"Sandokan feeds on love, and in this, he is very similar to me. I am very passionate about the things I do and the things I choose, and I always give my one hundred percent. So, when I feel a lack of love, I tend to distance myself from everything. The mental harmony you find with a person is important. Sometimes, small-mindedness [provincialism] wears you down, and you look for an open mind. When minds are open, I like them."

The lesson from a high school classmate:

"I had a friend when I was fourteen, in high school. He was Albanian. He made me love studying and reading; he was a genius hidden in a small body. He used to tell me, 'If you believe in God, to get closer to perfection, you must do everything—read, study—and you will see that you will feel protected. The more you know, the more powerful you will be.' When I was young, I didn't realize the great message he was leaving me."

The Italian friend:

"Now, a great friend of mine is Roberto, a police officer. The first few times I came to Italy, there was always chaos in the airports and hotels, and he was assigned to my security. Later, I shot a commercial for De Cecco, and he had to look after my protection. Over time, a friendship was born. During the pandemic, when I finished shooting the spot and was preparing for Sandokan—training alone because I had changed countries and was by myself—Roberto was always with me. He helped me with everything. He is one of the many reasons I managed to survive the loneliness of that period."

Vindication and Redemption

Can Yaman: "Revenge is an aggressive word; I would change it to vindication or redemption."

"Revenge (vendetta) is an aggressive word; I would change it to vindication (rivincita) or redemption (riscatto). I have achieved vindication for many things. When I lived in Turkey, the press attacked me a thousand times, tried to defame me, and invented a heap of nasty, incorrect news. I chose to walk my own path. I chose to come to Italy, and every time I came here and found a crowd waiting for me, they said they were extras I had paid for—absurd things that cannot be explained.

They wrote, 'If he is so famous in Italy, he should go work there.' So I came, and I worked. These are vindications: first they hate you, then they begin to respect you. Now, when I see Turkish actors who want to do the things I did in Italy—things for which they used to mock me—these are vindications. I entrusted everything to time and continued on my path.

Even Sandokan is a vindication. I came for a project in Italy, then suddenly there was no news, and for unknown reasons, it wasn't happening. They made it seem like a fake thing, as if I had scammed and deceived people. The moment it became a reality, it became a vindication."

The Sanremo Festival, Dream Directors, and Overcoming Fears

Can Yaman: "At Sanremo, I would feel out of place."

"At Sanremo, I would ask myself what I am doing there because it is a competition involving singers. I wouldn't feel comfortable; it wouldn't concern me as a situation. It would be a pleasure, but far from my profession. I would only go to promote a film."

Life’s surprises and directors he wants to work with:

"Sorrentino or Guadagnino? I would like to work with both; finding a truly great director is difficult. I really like Woody Allen, Guillermo del Toro... there are many directors I like. But when you fixate on something, things never happen. Life always reserves beautiful surprises for you. For example, I didn't know Jan Maria Michelini, the director of Sandokan. I met him, and I can say that I would like to work with him all my life; he is a wonderful person. So, when you dream of one thing, there is another you aren't dreaming of, and that thing turns out to be better for you. Sometimes, by waiting for what we dream of, we let better things that are right within reach slip away. Ferzan Özpetek? I would work with him, but he has never called me."

The fear of flying:

"I have a fear of flying; the airplane still scares me a bit, even if I've somewhat conquered it now. Many things scare me, but I pretend they don't, because when I discover that something frightens me, I always try to overcome it to break down barriers."

Thoughts on True Friendship and True Love

Can Yaman: "Friendship is a spiritual connection."

"There are certain friends in my life whom I don't see often, but I know that when we meet again, they will be there in the same position where we left off, and this is very important. Friendship, in my opinion, is like an agreement: 'You are great, I will be great.' We will be two spirits who are good; he will appreciate me, and I will appreciate him. We will be happy if each of us succeeds in the things we chose to do. This spiritual connection must make both parties happy, proud, and honored by the other's success, and vice versa."

Can Yaman: "The mix of simplicity, madness, and contradictions in a woman intrigues me."

"When I see simplicity in a woman, you can also see her madness. But when the contradictions are perfectly balanced and these contrasts are harmless—they don't cause you any damage—when a woman manages to balance it perfectly, she intrigues you even more."

Staying Eternally Young in Spirit

Can Yaman: "Learning new things, surprising myself, and improving."

"In ten years, I wouldn't know where to see myself. I never dream long-term. I always dream of a home, but this home doesn't depend on the place or the country; it is simply an inner peace you find with the people surrounding you. I have the ability to reset everything, start over from scratch, and survive; I learned this over the years.

For example, right now I am in Spain filming in Tenerife in Spanish, a language I learned in a year. I am doing another genre in another language, and this represents stepping out of the comfort zone. I like challenges. If I told you now that I am dreaming of a particular place, I would be lying, because that's how I am made; I am molded differently.

My dream might simply be to remain as young as possible—but inside, with good feelings, taking good care of oneself, and the will to do things. Because old age starts from within. You become old when you no longer want to do beautiful things, when you decide not to live life anymore, when you no longer want to learn. Even today, I try to learn new things, surprise myself, improve, and not repeat myself. When that ends, life ends. So, my dream is to find the strength to continue and to be able to learn."