I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THEATER ACTRESS BASED IN ANKARA
Ayça Eren first appeared in our lives as Şule, the daughter of Chief Inspector Behzat, in the cult TV series Behzat Ç.. But despite the attention that role brought her, and the flood of TV offers that followed, she chose a different path. Drawn to an inexplicable bond she feels with Ankara, the city she came to as a university student, Eren turned down major roles to stay in the capital and devote herself to theater. “Ankara may look gray from the outside, but it has a grounding effect. It has a strange energy that helps you process things. Here, it’s easier for me to discover myself and give meaning to my work. I think I’ll remain a theater actress based in Ankara for a while longer,” she said.
M. FERHAT YÜKSEL
Eren moved from Aydın to Ankara in 2004 to study industrial engineering at Çankaya University. While pursuing photography and design projects, her path crossed with Erdal Beşikçioğlu and the Behzat Ç. production team. That encounter changed the course of her life, steering her away from engineering and towards acting. Today, alongside her theater work, she also teaches pilates, yet her devotion to Ankara and the stage remains at the core of her identity.
“I COULDN’T SURVIVE IN ISTANBUL’S CHAOS”
For Eren, Ankara has always been a city where she feels she belongs. “I came here for university. Honestly, I didn’t even know exactly what I wanted; I just wanted to come to Ankara. My cousins were here, and I applied to almost every university in the city. Istanbul always felt like too much for me. At most, I stayed there for three months at a time, and I always came back exhausted. I realized I couldn’t express myself easily there, and I couldn’t fully be myself. Only rarely did I feel comfortable working with the right teams. Most of the time, I felt like I couldn’t exist in that chaos, like I couldn’t breathe. That’s part of why I chose Ankara. Preferring theater over television is also tied to my desire to stay here.”“ANKARA COMPLETES ME”
Although she sometimes misses the Aegean coast where she grew up, Eren believes Ankara has shaped her character. “Sometimes I miss the Aegean deeply, and I still ask myself, ‘What am I doing here?’ But there is something in Ankara I can’t name that keeps me attached to this city. If I returned to the Aegean, I probably wouldn’t find it so easy to do theater. It would be harder to find the right collaborators. The Aegean has always been full of life. Ankara, even though it looks gray, has a complementary energy. It helps you realize things. It’s easier for me to discover myself here and to give meaning to the work I do.”
“BEHZAT Ç. CAME AT A TURNING POINT”
Eren admits she never planned on becoming an actress. “Acting was never in my head. I was fascinated with the camera, but from behind it. I loved blending graphic design, fashion, and photography; I wanted to be the eye behind the lens. Suddenly, I found myself acting, and I realized how much it nourished me. At that time, I had lost my scholarship and wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I wanted to stay in Ankara, and Behzat Ç. was like a lifesaver. At first, that was the best part; it gave me a reason to stay. Later, I found myself among experienced actors, working with amazing directors. They never made me feel inexperienced. They protected and supported me. Thanks to Erdal Hoca giving me opportunities in his theater projects, doors kept opening one after another.”She also credits choreographer Binnaz Dorkip, who worked with her in Beşikçioğlu’s production of Animal Farm, with teaching her the importance of body awareness: “I realized how essential it is for a person to connect with their body. It felt like my missing pieces had come together. I feel very lucky.”
THEATER AS A PRACTICE OF EXISTENCE
Although she received attractive offers after Behzat Ç., Eren turned them down to stay in the theater. “At the time, I sometimes wondered, ‘Did I make the right choice?’ But today, I’m glad I did. Theater is like a practice that helps me understand my existence. It gives me awareness and makes me feel more human. There was even a period when I left the theater completely because I was overextended—three plays at once. I couldn’t recognize myself anymore. I quit everything and took two years of solitude. When I came back, it was with greater joy and understanding.”
BALANCING PILATES AND THEATER
During the pandemic, when theaters went dark, Eren leaned into her other passion: pilates. “Pilates and yoga were always things I did on my own, but I decided to get training and turn it into part of my professional life. Artistic work alone can sometimes blind me, but teaching gave me structure and financial stability. Pilates, grounded in anatomy, gave me confidence. Now I combine pilates and yoga in my teaching, but I try not to get too lost in the spiritual side. It’s more about balance for me.”
Despite occasional film roles and projects through friends, she doesn’t plan to relocate. “In television, Istanbul feels unavoidable, but for now, I’ll continue as a theater actress rooted in Ankara,” she said.
