tuba buyukustun

A day with Turkish superstar and actress Tuba Büyüküstün

One of Turkey’s most successful actresses who has played a key role in the global recognition of Turkish actors


JULY 13, 2021 4:04 PM EDT

The successful actress, Tuba Büyüküstün, has joined the new emerging and powerful generation of Turkish actors taking the world by the storm with their talent, beauty and positive energy. She is a star and a recipient of several national and international awards and has become one of Turkey’s most popular artists.

Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r

Recently, our sister brand HELLO! Turkey had the opportunity to chat with Tuba for a very special occasion. Surrounded by the spectacular Bodrum Demirbükü Bay, and accompanied by Dior’s Dioriviera collection, the young actress gets candid about life, acting, fashion motherhood, beauty and her passions.

“The favorite part of my profession is being able to continue to be a child”. [Tuba Büyüküstün]

Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r

This 12-hour shoot allowed us to really explore the life of this talented actress, a world-famous fashion giant and an idyllic location. Surrounded by the unique blue of the Aegean, Tuba – a Mediterranean spirit and force – met with a Parisian atmosphere, transports us to a unique place filled with vibrant colors and textures.

Tuba plays a great role in the global recognition and success of Turkish actors. In addition, she serves as UNICEF Turkey Goodwill Ambassador. Enjoy this in-depth interview paired with beautiful photos!

Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


You come from a family of immigrants. Your mother’s side is from Crimea and your dad’s side is from Cretan . Apart from the visible physical contribution and roots, what values and traditions were you raised with? What do you remember about your childhood?

Tuba Büyüküstün: I was brought up with the general codes and values of Turkish society, such as being modest, always treating others with respect and being honest. Now, when I close my eyes, I remember the Sundays of my childhood... After Sunday breakfasts, we used to sit down as a family and watch cowboy movies, sometimes there were musical movies. Also, my father used to open the classical music program on TRT 2 every Sunday, I think those days have an effect on my affection to classical music today.

What was it like when you first started to know yourself? How was your youth?

In my early youth I was someone who questioned everything a lot. I would try to understand concepts, research and read opposing views, and create my own definitions. Like many young people, those years were spent trying to get to know myself.



Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


Did you feel that you would be in the spotlight in the future while studying at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Department of Stage Decorations and Costume Design)?

I always found being behind the scenes very interesting while studying. There is something magical about creating something and making it out of nothing. Actually, I always dreamed of being one of the people behind the scenes to reveal something unseen.

Sets and costumes are very prominent in some projects. Even Netflix‘s latest series, from ’Bridgerton’ to ’The Queen’s Gambit’, are like a fashion history lesson. Would you like to have a role in one of your new projects, such as taking on the creation of the story’s look?

Yes, of course I would love to. One day, I want to experience it either in the theatre or in the cinema. Designing has a very important place in my life. I like the way my brain works when designing.



Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


What are your favorite years or trends in fashion?

I love the hippie spirit of the 70s, but I also love the 50s. And I love the 20s in itself. I can go on because I love the 1800s and the 1600s. It is like a great show to see the changes in the world‘s conditions, people’s living conditions, famines, wars, riches, the effort to make oneself happy again after the wars.

What role Tomris Giritlioğlu and Cemil Ağaçıkoğlu play in your career?

Tomris Giritlioğlu has a very important place in my life. If it wasn’t for Tomris Giritlioğlu, I probably wouldn’t be an actress. Even if I had somehow experienced it, I probably wouldn’t have continued. She believed in me more than I did, she made me believe in me, and she’s still trying to make me believe in myself more. The person who made Tomris Giritlioğlu see me and made me take the step was Cemil Ağaçıkoğlu. When I was going to enter Mimar Sinan University, visiting the painting workshops, there was a photo shoot by Cemil Ağaçıkoğlu. He somehow got me into that photo shoot and then everything in my life seemed like a knot. In fact, the person who started everything, who first lighted the lighter, is Cemil Ağaçıkoğlu.

Your first role was in 2003’s ‘Sultan Makamı’, but the character that made you famous was ‘Zarife’ in ‘Çemberimde Gül Oya’. Was it challenging to be in a period drama?

‘Çemberimde Gül Oya’ is one of the best works I‘ve ever done in my life, and one of the best in Turkey. The character of Zarife is very special to me. With the set, director and actors of ‘Çemberimde Gül Oya’, it became like a school for me.


Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


You are getting more successful with each project. You played a big part in making Turkish actors and productions popular around the world with ‘Ihlamurlar Altında’ and ‘Asi’. How do you feel about the interest shown by people abroad from different cultures and languages?

People from America, the Middle East, Europe, South America, almost all over the world, as you said, from very different cultures, languages, and countries with very different habits can somehow connect with the TV series we make. When I asked, “Why do you like it, what attracts you so much?”, the answer I get is always the same: “Your serials tell people very simply from a very human, very sincere and very emotional place. Family, love, land, woman, child, man tell this from a very human place, with their real feelings, with the weaknesses of all people, and this is very ingrained for us,” they say. This is a very clear indication that regardless of language, religion, race or culture, everyone has actually the same feelings.

‘’Asi’ was nominated in the ’Best Soap Series’ category at the 51st Monte-Carlo Television Festival, with winning ratings in 67 countries. You received the ‘Best Actress Award’ at the Serbia-Montenegro International TV Festival Bar with the TV movie ‘Gülizar’ in 2004. In addition, you were nominated for an International Emmy with your performance in ‘20 Dakika’. How do you feel about these accomplishments?

I have very valuable memories and valuable experiences. And yes, I got the ‘Best Actress Award’ for my first job, which I started this business with. We were nominated in the category of ’Most Watched Series’ with ’Asi’. I was nominated for an International Emmy for Best Actress. And many more… I just try to do what I do, whatever I’m doing, to the best of my ability, I try to do it happily in it. I try not to be in things that I will be unhappy with or that I do not believe in. I see this as both respect for my work and self-respect. I think that people cannot be successful where they are already unhappy. To move all this forward; I’m not talking about acting or just the industry we’re in, I believe we should pay more attention to our treasures as a country. I think we should give them the value they deserve. In any field, we need to embrace them; We need to love them, appreciate and praise their achievements. We need to give them the value they deserve first, so that others can too. No one else will value them more unless we give what is within ourselves the value they deserve.



Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


What would you say is the job that you enjoy being in the most or that you see as the turning point of your career?

Of course, there are things that I feel better about and things that I do not feel that good. But seeing something as apple of the eye means that I wouldn‘t exist without it, I guess. Right now, when I look from where I am, it wouldn’t actually be without any of them. Because the sum of them that brought me to today, if one of them was missing, I would be in a different place today. No matter how we live something good or bad, we gain experience from all of them, we learn, and that experience actually leads us to take other steps. If I say “my apple is this job”, I would be unfair to my other works. Without any of them, I don’t know where I would be today, both personally and as a career, but not here, I’m sure.

One day, a period character, then an urban woman or a girl who grew up in a village... What’s next?

My favorite part of this profession is, I think, being able to continue being a child. In other words, play making like we did when we were kids; To continue to share roles, to believe in the role we play together, to take on those characters by believing until the end, and to do our best for a game with 100 people together. I think this is the part of my job that I enjoy the most. Also, during the character‘s debut, “If I was someone under these conditions, what kind of person would I be? If this was my name, if I had been born in such a family, if all this had happened to me, and if I had such a character, what would I be like?” It is a great pleasure to think about it and try to find it.



Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


Are there any other things you would like to try and improve yourself apart from acting? Like writing, drawing, singing or being behind the camera?

Actually, I write and draw. I have paintings, I‘ve had jobs behind the camera, I’ve also experienced singing. It was something I was afraid of; I wanted to sing and go on top of it. Even being able to try it was something very important to me. Bringing together the things I learned by experience gives me excitement.

Do you believe in luck? Does luck, talent, or being determined and hardworking outweigh the road to success?

Luck, talent, perseverance, hard work, all have their place on the road to success. But at different rates, these rates work differently for everyone. I think success is a combination of all of them.

We always see a well-balanced, elegant, calm and ‘cool’ Tuba. Are you as calm as you seem, or do you have an inner world that can be called crazier?

I may seem like a calm and quiet person from the outside, this is because of the polyphony in my head (laughs). There is a very different Tuba than it seems from the outside, next to people I feel comfortable with. Is it crazy? Of course, wouldn‘t life be so boring without a little craziness? But besides that, learning to internally maintain calm and grace in any situation is something I still seek, as do all of us.


Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


Tuba, who has had a successful career for 18 years and has two nine year old children , must be a woman who knows what she wants and what she does not want from life. How did you develop, what did you notice during your own adventure?

Has it really been 18 years? If I had solved everything, there would be nothing left to do. But I have more to do. Sometimes we wish that life was easier, that everything could be solved so easily and that the human structure was not so complicated. But what makes all this enjoyable is perhaps the complexity of human life and relationships. In every situation we encounter, in every experience, in every loss, in every win, we realize something more about ourselves. I look at life as a bit of a self-knowledge journey and I know myself so little that I still have so many ways to go...

What is the most important feature that makes you in life?

This is a difficult question. I guess what makes me me is that I act as I feel, under any circumstance. No matter what comes my way, I can‘t stop myself from behaving the way I feel, even though I may get harmed. I think that if I behaved otherwise, I would be rejecting my own state of being.

What dreams do you have for Maya and Toprak, children from artistic parents? Considering that they are children born with this ability in their genes from both sides, if they want to follow your path in the future, what would be your views and feelings on this subject?

Genes, yes, but in the end, genes don‘t just come from our parents, they come from our ancestors we’ve never seen. I have no idea what will come to the fore in Maya and Toprak. There are things they love to do right now, things they enjoy doing more. But I don’t know what they will evolve to at the end of the day. The most important thing for me is that they become good people, know themselves well and be happy. Knowing what they will be happy with, realizing what they don’t want.


Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


How do you relate to fashion when you’re away from the red carpet and the spotlight?

The version of me you see on the red carpet is very different from my daily life. I prefer to dress the way I feel good and comfortable. But I love design, so it would be more accurate to say that I follow designers rather than fashion. I‘m trying to understand how the designs of the brands evolve from the designs of the previous season, the thought and the story behind it.

In our shoot accompanied by Dior collections, your Mediterranean spirit met a Parisian woman. How did you feel?

I felt very good in Dioriviera designs. On a sunny day in Bodrum, we shot a photo shoot with a great team in a very beautiful place, where our energy never dropped even though it took about 12 hours. The ‘Toile de jouy’ pattern is already one of my favorite patterns, the navy blue and white striped ’Jadior Bodrum’ t-shirt and the accompanying red skirt, swimsuits, all the combinations and colors were magnificent. Being in navy blue, red and yellow colors gives people a great energy. Also, some things coincide so well in life... It was exciting to be the first person to drive a motorcycle designed in collaboration with Vespa and Dior, again in Bodrum, with the motorcycle license I got in Bodrum a month ago. I had a great day in the aura of Dior.



Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


We would like to ask about the definition and perception of beauty of such a beautiful woman...

First of all, thank you very much. Beauty is complete of everything. A person‘s view of life; I think beauty is the attitude, the stance and the behaviour in life that are in harmony, like a dance you can’t take your eyes off of.

Are you down-to-earth and realistic, or are you more of a fantasist?

I think dreaming is one of the best qualities a person can have. It is very important not to lose this feature that every child has while growing up. I dream a lot, but I don‘t get lost in dreams. I also have an analytical mindset and a realistic side; but every reality starts with dreaming first.

Life with two children means dozens of plans, programs and workloads. What‘s the first thing you do when you’re alone and take time for yourself?

I like being with myself, writing, reading, painting. Sometimes going out and walking, sometimes going somewhere and having a cup of coffee, sometimes chatting with someone I don‘t know...

Are you interested in courses, workshops, classes? If you had a new habit or skill, what would it be?

Frankly, I am not very interested in courses and workshops. I paint and wish I could make painting more programmatic; but I can‘t do anything programmatically in my life, I am a very spontaneous person. Apart from that, I love sculpture and three-dimensional work and would like to improve myself more about sculpture.

Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


Cancer is the most motherly sign that feels most secure at home. What kind of mother are you? Do you see your relationship with your own mother between you and your children, or do you have a completely different style?

I guess the question of what kind of mother I am should be asked not to me but to the children. Let‘s just say, I’m composing my own sentences using the alphabet that my mother made and that my mother created.

You have been UNICEF Turkey‘s goodwill ambassador since 2014. What are the things that most affect, upset and break your heart, both socially and individually?

I have seen a lot since I became UNICEF Turkey‘s goodwill ambassador. On the one hand, I saw very little, for people who lived it. I’ve seen lives scattered, I’ve seen bodies that have lost their limbs, I’ve seen women with broken hearts, I’ve seen children who don’t understand why this has happened to them. I have seen families trying to exist, I have seen their longings, I have seen their hopes, I have seen their clinging to life. I saw their purpose, I saw how much a person can hold on to life even in the worst conditions, never stop dreaming, exist and always do what they can to keep breathing. But what saddens me the most is what children go through. Because kids don’t choose anything that happens to them. We adults choose everything and they have to adapt and live with what happens to them without being asked.

What do you think we should do to fight with all this and get better? What would be the first step to change us spiritually?

I think we can start by understanding each other. We can never know exactly what a person is going through, but as human beings, we all want the same thing, the good. I hope we can understand each other and find a way to learn and grow from each other‘s experiences.


Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r


What is your definition of being a ‘good person’?

For me, being a good person first starts with feeling and experiencing the good feeling within yourself. When you feel good, you can share and multiply this good feeling. Because kindness is contagious.

How do you experience love, how do you define it? What kind of woman is Tuba who’s in love?

Love is a state of being that makes one‘s heart and soul overflow with the joy of life. It suits every human, but it is beyond human. For me, it’s not about falling in love, it’s about being love itself.

What excites you most right now, what is your heart beating for?

I am very excited for the project that I will be on set at the end of this month.

When you think about yourself and your whole life, what legacy would you like to leave behind?

Love. What a person has done concretely in this life remains as a legacy. I want everything I do in this life to serve people to feel the love inside them more.

Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray | Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat | Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n | Make up: Hakan Kültür | Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci | Make up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r

Credits: 

  • Interview: Gökçe Ateş Kantarci
  • Photo: Ci̇han Alpgi̇ray
  • Fashion Director: Meli̇s Ağazat
  • Hair: İbrahi̇m Zengi̇n
  • Make-up: Hakan Kültür
  • Photo Assistants: Emre İbi̇ş, Kivanç Yörüten, Yunus Emre Katirci
  • Make-up Assistant: Suat Başdemi̇r

Special thanks To Mesa Bodrum Demi̇rbükü