The beloved Kanal D series “Güller ve Günahlar” has entered its second season. The show, which was watched with great interest in its first season, will return to the screens starting September 12 with new episodes. We visited the lead actors, Cemre Baysel and Murat Yıldırım, on set as they began filming. We also got some tips about the new season from the two actors, who are working with great motivation and excitement.

◊ The second season of “Güller ve Günahlar” is starting. How do you feel?

• Cemre Baysel: I’m excited. I’ve missed our set so much, and appearing in front of the audience again… We rested well, our motivation is high. We can’t wait to be in front of you with our new story.
• Murat Yıldırım: The first episode of the second season is always very important. We got very excited. It was a good start. I’m also looking forward to it with curiosity.

◊ The first season ended with a very exciting and intriguing finale. What awaits the audience in the new season?

• Murat Yıldırım: We had actually given the signals. There may be cracks between Serhat and Zeynep. But if you’re telling a great love story, these things are also part of it. We’re in that part now.

◊ So how did you spend the summer?

• Murat Yıldırım: Mine passed in a rush, as you know.

◊ Yes, you welcomed your second child, Kerem, into your arms. Congratulations…

• Murat Yıldırım: Thank you. After my daughter, I had a son; Kerem. My daughter Miray chose his name.

◊ What’s it like being a father to a boy?

• Murat Yıldırım: We fathers don’t fully grasp it when we take them in our arms. We realize it more when they call us “dad.” Right now I’m experiencing a flashback of Miray. I feel very peaceful when he’s in my arms.

◊ How is Miray getting along with her brother?

• Murat Yıldırım: Very well. Before Kerem was born, I prepared her a little. I kept telling her, “A baby is coming, he’ll be your brother, he’ll play with you.” Because the concept of time isn’t fully settled yet, lately she kept asking, “How many minutes left, how many minutes left?” When he was born, she was very happy. Now she sleeps next to him every day, kisses him, hugs him.

◊ Coming back to Zeynep; will we see a more vengeful, stronger, braver Zeynep in the new season?

• Cemre Baysel: Let’s not code it as “revenge,” but we can say more determined. Zeynep was already strong; this season we’ll see her in a more daring structure. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her family and loved ones. This will deepen even more, we’ll watch a different Zeynep. The first episode excited me a lot. I want us to shoot it as soon as possible so I can watch it too.

◊ Are you as daring and brave as Zeynep?

• Cemre Baysel: Yes, I kind of am.
• Murat Yıldırım: Not “I kind of am,” but “I am”!

• Cemre Baysel: I am. (laughs)
• Murat Yıldırım: Brave and truthful.
• Cemre Baysel: My partner knows me very well.
• Murat Yıldırım: I’ve known and liked Cemre for a long time. She’s the same inside and out, a realistic person…

◊ In the series, Serhat is tested with the feeling of fatherhood. You’re a father too. How does it affect you emotionally?

• Murat Yıldırım: He’s a father, but actually more of a character trying to stay on his feet. Just when he’s recovering, he stumbles again. I like stories that go back to the beginning, where the character has completely lost everything, so we can watch the recovery phase again. That’s exactly what happened. Our story has gone back to the very beginning and Serhat is extremely lost. I like this loss.

◊ Which scene affected you the most last season?

• Murat Yıldırım: There are many scenes. One of the things that makes this series beautiful is that we act from a very real place. A viewer even said, “It’s not like the series we’re used to, it’s like things that happen in daily life.” That’s a nice comment for us.
• Cemre Baysel: I really enjoy every scene with the children. We had a carpet-washing scene, we had a lot of fun. I went back to my childhood too. I washed a lot of carpets with my mother.

◊ Do you have routines in the trailer on set?

• Cemre Baysel: I listen to music. At 7 in the morning, for example, I put on loud techno music to wake up. Murat Bey is in the trailer next door, sometimes I wonder if the sound is reaching him!
• Murat Yıldırım: It’s playing at our place too.
• Cemre Baysel: I don’t want to disturb you. Because it’s very early hours. I wouldn’t want to hear it myself, for example.
• Murat Yıldırım: My set routine was breakfast, but for 4-5 days I’ve started a strict diet. No breakfast. I eat one meal a day. Apart from that, I like reading something in the trailer.

◊ How would you define the chemistry between you?

• Murat Yıldırım: I found Serhat and Zeynep very well-matched. Chemically too. I liked the combination of Cemre Baysel’s acting and Murat Yıldırım’s acting. I see that the audience likes it too.
• Cemre Baysel: I also enjoy watching it a lot. We’re both professional actors and we try to do better whatever the scene requires. We’re in constant harmony, constant communication. We do a lot of brainstorming and, as Murat Bey said, we try to act from a real place.

◊ The series is aired in 120 countries. What kind of comments are coming from abroad?

• Murat Yıldırım: They say the Turkish name of the series. In Nigeria, in South America, there are people who speak Turkish. They say, “I’m learning from Turkish series.” This gives me great pleasure. There’s also a very big interaction regarding “Güller ve Günahlar.” People from every nation talk about the series and ask, “Will the second season come?” We like it.
• Cemre Baysel: I also receive very nice comments. When I interacted with people during the holiday, I realized that we’ve made something nice.

◊ Ms. Cemre, let me ask about your new look. Your hair color is a bit lighter…

• Cemre Baysel: In the first season we made an image change for Zeynep. We preferred a dark color. We said let’s make it different because she’s a strong character. But unfortunately, towards the end of the season I developed an allergy to hair dye.
• Murat Yıldırım: One day she sent a photo, it wasn’t Cemre in that photo. We were very sad. She couldn’t come to the set for 4-5 days.
• Cemre Baysel: Yes, then we said let’s not dye it anymore. We managed to camouflage it somehow until the end of the season. But in the summer I stopped dyeing. I’m saying this for the first time. People were also curious. It actually matched very well with Zeynep’s change. Of course I wouldn’t have wanted to have an allergy to hair dye, but it overlapped very nicely with Zeynep’s change this season.

◊ Ms. Cemre, in an interview you said, “I’m not someone who is afraid of change professionally.” What would be the biggest change you would make?

• Cemre Baysel: Hair dye from now on! (laughs) That’s my biggest nightmare.
• Murat Yıldırım: We can play anything. We’re actors, but of course when there’s a good script. With a good script, an actor does everything.

◊ With only a few days left until the new season starts, what message would you like to give to the “Güller ve Günahlar” audience?

• Murat Yıldırım: We’ll be with you very soon.
• Cemre Baysel: Very little left. A season awaits you where you’ll find the answers to many of the questions you’ve been wondering about. We hope you’ll watch it with pleasure.
• Murat Yıldırım: I’ll add something; we’ve done many projects so far. For the first time I’ve witnessed this many children watching a series this much.

◊ What do you think attracts the children?

• Murat Yıldırım: Our series appeals to many people. There are also episodes related to children. The fact that there are children in the series attracts their interest. Of course it’s a series that families watch together. The fact that it’s aired on the weekend might also have an effect. But it’s very interesting; it starts from age 7 and there’s no end.
• Cemre Baysel: They ask me a lot about Kader. I think little children find them close to themselves, like a friend.

◊ Among the core emotions of the series are “trust” and “forgiveness.” How forgiving are you in love? Based on the series’ title, which sin could you forgive?

• Cemre Baysel: There are things that can be forgiven and things that cannot. This is not only in love, but also in family and friendships. I’m not someone who holds grudges, on the contrary, I’m forgiving. But everyone has their red lines; and I think some things are universal.
• Murat Yıldırım: Truths are truly universal. But your truths and the other person’s truths need to be close to each other. If the other person can’t adapt to you, that’s where things can go wrong. That’s why something that’s not even that wrong can seem too wrong to you. But there are some red lines in life that are our trial in this life. Sometimes a person may not realize that they’ve hurt the other side. Therefore relationships wear out and end. A person should remind themselves every day why they love the other person. After that, it requires effort every day.

◊ That’s actually a difficult thing nowadays, isn’t it?

• Murat Yıldırım: But nowadays everyone wants everything. Then it doesn’t work. If we want something, then we need to give it its due. Love requires effort.

(HÜRRİYET- Cansu Topçu)