The cover guest of the new issue of EPISODE Magazine was Furkan Andic, one of the most admired and successful actors of the last period. Furkan Andic, who started his acting career in 2011 with the character Mert in the TV series Kolej Günlüğü, and then over the years Adini Feriha Koydum, Kacak Gelinler, Kardes Cocuklari and Her Yerde Sen. He appeared before the audience with different characters he successfully portrayed in lines. Furkan Andic plays the character of Atlas in the TV series Blackboard, which he shares with Miray Daner, which is currently airing on TRT1.
You are currently in the Blackboard TV series on TRT1. How did this process develop, how did you get involved in the project?
Since the end of 2020, I have had the opportunity to step back a little and spend time with myself and invest in myself. During this time, I made a promise to myself that I wanted to do a job that really appealed to me. We talked to many jobs, but I couldn’t really see myself in those characters. However, I can say that my involvement in the Blackboard project on TRT was faster than I expected. To be honest, when a project arrives, it is not my preferred method to read it the same day and go to the interview the next day. I’ll try to take some time to think about it. However, this is not a method that always works. It is possible to get excited as you think about it, as well as to cool off from the project. However, when I learned that the director was Ender Mıhlar, along with the offer from our producer Süreyya Yaşar Önal, I can say that I read the scripts that day and went to the interview the next day. That day, my partner Miray, our producer, and Ender’s interest made me feel like I was a part of the project. On the other hand, the plot of the story, the wounds of Atlas character, his motivation and goals excited me. After a long time, I felt myself where I wanted to be.
You play the math teacher Atlas, who was appointed to his own school years later. Can you tell us about your character?
Atlas is a character who was ignored by his father in his childhood and youth. But the most promising thing about Atlas is that he has found the most efficient solution for himself and his environment in order to get out of the deadlock he is in. That is, to cure oneself by helping others. That’s why he chose teaching, his father’s profession, and will do his best to keep the tragedies he experienced on this path away from his students. He is naive, calm and analytical thinker.
Miray Daner is your co-star. He plays Irmak in the series. What kind of relationship do Atlas and Irmak have?
Unfortunately, Atlas and Irmak have an unfinished relationship that has been interrupted by years. That’s why this relationship is at a fragile and sensitive point when we come to the present day. I perceive the relationship of Atlas and Irmak as a teaching of Japanese “kintsugi” art. Re-repairing vases that are very difficult to repair after breaking; with the understanding that the value of the repaired vase is much higher… Although Atlas seems to have abandoned it, we will see that he is always looking for Irmak wherever he goes. But Irmak will need to be able to see this in order for the broken one to be repaired…
What is your experience working with Miray Daner?
Miray is truly a very valuable, hardworking and, above all, incredibly talented person. He is an actor who has been involved in very important projects since a very young age and has shown the audience how successful he is many times. It is really enjoyable to work with him, I hope we have a long-term partnership.
You are with actors such as Cengiz Bozkurt, Çiçek Dilligil, Selen Uçer. What’s the atmosphere like on set?
I am very happy that the acting profession can be developed at any time and in any way. And I want to use it as much as I can. I take advantage of this to the fullest when working with names like these. Frankly, it’s a very professional and at the same time fun set. Of course, these are the very precious names you count, and this naturally makes me more attentive and clearer than usual in our mutual scenes. Because learning continues not only in the classroom, but also while working in the flow of life. Another beauty of our profession is that the thing that comes out of all of us is unique. So, Miray, Kerem and other actors are also included in this process as I have said. Since there are more locomotive characters, I would like to say again here that they are both very professional and talented actors, it is very enjoyable for me to work with them.
Where is this series positioned in your career? We’ve seen you many times before in the romantic comedy genre. Now you are here with a different production. Was this a conscious choice?
Romantic comedy is a genre I really enjoy. However, I have observed very similar bases and characters among romantic comedies written and filmed recently. When you take part in more than one project of the same type, you can feel like you are repeating yourself. So at this stage of my career, I decided not to make a romantic comedy TV series. The projects I evaluated and the Blackboard were also such a conscious approach.
I would also like to point out that romantic comedy is a really fun genre. While it used to be a genre where channels only released content with cheap production in the summer months, when we come to today, we see that all the large-scale producers of the country have started to produce such content, both international sales and advertising revenues. The overseas audience, which was mostly in the Middle East at first, experienced a serious growth in Europe and even further west with the romantic comedy. Many of our TV series and their actors go to Europe, cooperate with the brands of that place, and win awards from their committees.
Would you consider directing or screenwriting in the future besides acting? Do you have any projects on these?
Definitely yes. There are two or three different stories I’m working on, but I can say that they are a bit far from ready. I hope that in the summer of 2023 I may have made a short film that I wrote. I set myself such a goal. I hope things go well. Because besides acting, directing, writing and producing is an adventure that I really dream of and work on. We will see over time whether I am good at this or not 🙂 But as someone who has spent half of his life in this industry, I believe that being productive is more valuable to me now.
You took part in an awareness project on epilepsy in the past months. Why did you choose such a project? How did this process go?
There are many movements in our country and in the world that embrace fundamental rights and freedoms, oppose discrimination, and try to explain that no individual is superior to another. Unfortunately, individuals with epilepsy experience serious victimization and exclusion from the society due to the information pollution that has spread to the society. The Turkish Association for Combating Epilepsy is an NGO that has been trying to break down these prejudices in society by adopting a different language of expression for the last few years. This year, they had a meeting with my agency and conveyed that they wanted to convey their campaign messages with me. Frankly, I got involved in the project very fondly. With a little humor, we tried to break the preconceived notion that people with epilepsy cannot marry, work and have children. We also gave tips on how to treat an individual with epilepsy who has had a seizure. I believe that we have achieved a very good access with the support of both local governments and the media. We hope we have conveyed our message.
Is there a literary character/novel that you wish could be adapted for the screen or the movie and I would play it?
I would like to portray the character of Kozan, who welcomes everyone at his counter, in Hakan Günday’s Mandrel novel.
