Can Yaman :I'm not chasing movies or renowned directors. These days, TV series offer more opportunities."

A more pragmatic and self-aware Can Yaman than ever discusses his career choices, from television series and major international productions to new projects in Italy and around the world.


What is most striking about Can Yaman is not his good looks or statuesque height, but his grounded personality.


During our meeting at the Benevento Film and Television Festival, for example, he demonstrated a deep understanding of the production dynamics that shape the industry in which he has become one of the most recognizable figures, both in Italy and internationally.


It is an unexpected quality in someone accustomed to bringing the dreams of an ever-growing audience to life—an audience that also followed him to the Campania city. Yet this trait seems to belong to Can Yaman the man even before Can Yaman the actor.

That same pragmatism, evident in both his gestures and his words, has accompanied a career that has so far shown no signs of slowing down. Realism and self-awareness—including an understanding of his own limitations—are essential because, as he told us during our conversation, “You always have to understand the right timing in order to make the right choices.”


For Can Yaman, his twenties were the era of Turkish dramas, through which audiences in Italy and around the world first came to know him. His thirties have been a time for new challenges: acting in English in his first international production, Il Turco, which he recently promoted in the United States; starring in Sandokan; acting in Italian during the first two seasons of Viola come il mare; and performing in Spanish in the series Il Labirinto delle Farfalle, which will air on Canale 5 in the coming months.


Another new experience will soon be added to that list: Bro, his first comedy series, recently announced by Amazon Prime Video. He will star alongside his friend Giovanni Nasta, playing a character far removed from the romantic and action heroes who made him famous.


It has been a journey defined by constant change, perfectly reflecting the way Can Yaman approaches his profession: not necessarily by pursuing a particular image, but by searching for the right project at the right time.


Can Yaman: “Today TV Series Offer More Opportunities Than Cinema ”


When the conversation turns to cinema, his response is surprising precisely because it is based not on personal ambition, but on an analysis of an industry that has changed profoundly.

Can Yaman does not view the big screen as a goal to be abandoned, but he recognizes that today’s audiovisual market offers different opportunities from those available in the past.


“I’m not obsessed with the big screen. A lot changed after Covid: fewer people go to the cinema, and people’s habits have changed. Films are only in theaters for a few days before you can watch them on streaming platforms. It isn’t like it used to be. Production companies rarely commission films today; they prefer series. It is also a commercial and financial matter because television series offer the opportunity to continue for several seasons.”


For that reason, choosing television series does not represent a compromise, but rather a practical assessment of the opportunities currently offered by the industry.


“When I receive a good movie offer, I’ll consider it. But from both a financial and commercial perspective, making television series is more worthwhile.”

Once again, his reasoning comes from a place of practicality.


“These decisions are made by production companies, and 90 percent of the offers I receive are for television series. Sandokan, for example, could easily have been a movie, but they preferred to make it a series.”


However, he is keen to point out that this applies more to the European production industry than to the American market. In fact, he revealed that he has already received a movie offer.


“It came from Brazil, and they’ve asked me to learn Portuguese.”


His Relationship With Directors: “The Project Matters More Than the Name”


The same pragmatism emerges when the conversation turns to directors. In an industry where actors often speak about their desire to work with certain prestigious filmmakers, Can Yaman prefers to look at the project as a whole.


His experience has taught him that a famous name does not necessarily guarantee an ideal professional experience.


“There isn’t a director I dream of working with. I used to dream of working with many directors, but then I met them and regretted ever having dreamed about it. They may be extremely talented, but working with them can be difficult.”


By contrast, he said he found remarkable professional chemistry with Jan Maria Michelini, who directed him in the first—and so far only—season of Sandokan.


“I didn’t know him as a director, but I fell in love with him professionally: with the way he works, the way he pays attention to every detail and even the way he smiles on set.”


For Can Yaman, the value of a production therefore comes from the balance between several different elements: its artistic vision, certainly, but above all its production conditions and available resources.


“I don’t think it’s right to become obsessed with the idea of working with one particular director. I can dream of working with a major production that has a large budget. When all those other elements are in place, then having a great director is obviously welcome too. But what is the point of dreaming about a famous name when the budget isn’t there? Major platforms are the ones making the decisions now. It is a very different era from just a few years ago.”


The opportunity to work with a great director naturally remains an important ambition, but it cannot be separated from the wider context.


“Of course, I would be delighted to work with a great director. I would consider it an incredible opportunity. But I can’t simply dream about a director because that isn’t how the industry works.”


This may be the key to understanding the current stage of Can Yaman’s career. Behind the image of an actor adored by international audiences is someone far more focused on the practical realities of his profession: making choices, adapting, understanding the historical moment and turning change into opportunity.

From Turkish dramas to international productions, from multilingual series to new genres waiting to be explored, the actor’s journey appears to follow a clear principle: not simply pursuing whatever seems most prestigious, but choosing what may represent the best decision at a particular stage of his career and life.

After all, as he says, “You always have to understand the right timing in order to make the right choices.”

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