TUGBA SUNGUROGLU ON MUSTANG
THIS IS ONE YOUNG ACTRESS WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF HER. STARRING IN HER FIRST FEATURE AT JUST 15, TUGBA SUNGUROGLU PORTRAYS A YOUNG WOMAN FORCED TO COPE WITH THE OPEN SUPREMACY OF MEN LIVING IN A SMALL VILLAGE IN TURKEY. IN « MUSTANG », DIRECTED BY DENIZ GAMZE ERGÜVEN, FOUR SISTERS FIGHT AGAINST A BELIEF SYSTEM THAT KEEPS GIRLS POWERLESS AND ELIMINATES THEIR FREEDOM OF CHOICE, AS THE SLIGHTEST MISSTEP BECOMES THE STUFF OF SCANDAL. A MAJOR ROLE FOR AN UP-AND-COMING ACTRESS, TUGBA PROVES MORE THAN UP TO THE CHALLENGE. CRITICS ALREADY ACCLAIMED THE FILM AT THE 68TH CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, WHERE TUGBA GRACED THE RED CARPET IN HAUTE COUTURE BY CHANEL.
What appealed to you about Mustang?
I met the director at the airport last year. I never thought about doing movies before then. What I liked best about the script was how the girls react to everything that happens to them. They’re not victims, they’re strong women.
Can you tell us about meeting the director, Deniz Gamze Ergüven?
It happened last summer when I was coming back to Turkey with my mother and brother. Deniz came up to us and told us she was shooting her first feature film. Then she told me I looked exactly like what she imagined the girls would look like. So we exchanged numbers and met a few times. She told me more about the film and we quickly became close. For us she was like a sixth sister.
In Mustang, you play Selma, a young woman who lives in Turkey and has to cope with gender inequality and the shame placed on young women, especially by men. Did the story resonate with your personal life in any way?
No, not really. But I hear a lot about it on the news. And a lot of girls I know tell me they feel a lot of pressure from society.
Has this experience motivated you to pursue a career as an actress?
Absolutely! It was an incredible experience.
The film was shown at the most recent Cannes Film Festival. Did you expect the film to have so much success with critics and audiences?
Not really. The first time I saw the film was at the festival and it was such an emotional experience for us. We heard almost nothing but good things! We didn’t expect so much success. Now the film has made it all around the world!
What was the set like? It seems like you got really close with your screen sisters.
It was great! We already started to click from the first time we all met. We all got along right away and became fast friends. Now they’re like my sisters.
Any future plans?
Not at the moment!
