Meet Selin Cuhadaroglu | Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Selin Cuhadaroglu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Selin, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think in every career you need to take risks. I don’t think you can find great success without taking a risk or getting out of your comfort zone. For me, I had to decide if I wanted to take the risk of moving to a different country to pursue my passion in a place where everyone else is striving for the same goal. Every corner you turn in Los Angeles, you will find an actor. On one hand, it is amazing to be surrounded by my people, who have the same dreams and goals. Seeing others work so hard also inspires me. On the other hand, it is a very uncertain career where you don’t know what is going to happen. I could have stayed in Turkey and choose a career path that is more stable but I knew that if I didn’t take a chance on myself now, I would regret never trying. Now looking back, I am so glad I made the difficult decision to move to a foreign country to follow my dreams when the majority did not think it was possible.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My passion for acting started when as a five year-old, when my sister and I put up skits for my family. We would create characters and scenarios. Now my passion has taken me from Turkey, where I grew up to Los Angeles. The biggest challenge started even before my career began. I had to convince my parents for me to move to Los Angeles and that I was serious about acting. Naturally not being in the industry, they were scared. They didn’t think it was a safe space and also that finding success would be impossible. Especially for someone who is all the way in Turkey. At one point I started selling my stuff so that I could buy my own plane ticket. I was ready to give it my all and take the risk. I could have easily stayed in Turkey and went to a college near home. However, I knew that if I didn’t pursue this now, I would look back and regret it. Thankfully, after seeing my persistence, my family decided to support me along this journey. I moved to LA and studied at Stella Adler Academy of acting and just last year I graduated from Pepperdine University in which I studied film and acting. I wanted to prioritize getting better and constantly learning because for me acting is a muscle which needs practice no matter how much professional experience you get. It was hard when I first moved because in LA I came across many scammers trying to trick young actors to sign up to their expensive program and promising them these over the top results like “you get in my program and in 6 months you will be a lead in a TV series”. There were also many people trying to discourage you. At those times, I really hold on to people I trusted and the community I formed where we all truly wanted good things for each other. You really need a good support system.

As I continued with my studies, I started acting in student films, short films and independent feature films. It was amazing working with people my age who are also so passionate! I had so much fun and learned a lot from those experiences. When the pandemic hit, some of the projects that I was going to be a part of got cancelled. I went back to Turkey as my school went fully online. When I was in Turkey I heard back from an audition I did for a Turkish TV show. It was only days before my return flight to LA that I found out that I had gotten a part to play a series regular on a Turkish TV show called Akinci. I decided to stay and started filming the next week. It was also still the time of the pandemic and quarantine so for me to be able to go to work and be around people was so amazing. Even though it was hard since we had to get tested every week and had to wear masks when we weren’t shooting, I still felt so lucky that I got to do what I love and be surrounded by amazing people. I was so lucky to have such a great crew and cast. The cast really took me under their wing since it was my first professional job. I grew so much as an actor and as a person since I was learning to work with different work schedules, fast-paced environment and large groups of people. Even if we were shooting until 7am, I was thrilled to be there. Each episode was another opportunity for me to get closer to my character “Beyza”. She was the fierce middle child and the sister of the main character. It was so bittersweet when the show ended. It was a great experience that prepared me for what was next.

I went back to LA after we wrapped and continued school. After a long time of auditions and not hearing back, it was hard not to get affected by it but I was in LA for a reason and I was not going to give up. In 2022, I got a voice acting job for the video game Valorant to voice the character of Fade. It introduced me to a whole new medium. Even though people just hear your voice, there was quite a lot of physicality during recording because in order to get that energy in my voice, I had to stand up and do movements but without making a sound since I wouldn’t want the mic to pick up any noise. I was so impressed by how complex the game was and the community that welcomed me to the Valorant universe. I saw so many people cosplay Fade and they are so talented!

In September 2022, I booked a role in the upcoming movie Gran Turismo starring Orlando Bloom and David Harbour. I am so excited for this one because it is my first studio movie! I had the pleasure of working with such an amazing and talented cast and crew. It was an experience I will never forget. It definitely made me look back on my journey and be grateful for where I am. I still have so many goals and so many things I want to accomplish. There are many stories I want to tell and be a part of. Film and TV have such a big place in my heart because it made me laugh and feel safe when I felt unhappy. It made me get inspired when I felt like giving up. I want to do that for people. I want to make them feel something. That surreal feeling when you leave the movie theater after seeing a film…I want to be able to do that. This jobs, like any other, is not easy and can be unpredictle but for me it is worth all the hardships. In the end, I love acting and telling stories. I want those stories to bring people together and be present and just enjoy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family In the beginning of my acting journey, I had a very hard time convincing my family that I really wanted to pursue acting and that it was a realistic career. My family is not in the industry so it was very foreign to them. It was easy for them to see the entertainment industry and Hollywood as dangerous and not a place for a young girl. I understood their concerns but just because it’s scary I’m supposed to give up? If so, we would not get anywhere in life. As I went through this long battle with my family, I got closer to acting because I had to question if I really wanted this and if I could really do it. Am I ready to face this world? Am I ready to work hard for it? Do I love acting enough to go on this journey? Yes, I do. I latched onto acting during the times I felt my loneliest, I felt so lucky that I found something I cared about so deeply and I was not going to take it for granted. After seeing my persistence, my family decided to fully support my dreams and helped me as I moved to Los Angeles. I couldn’t have had the experiences I have if it wasn’t for them. They made me fight for it, and now I am stronger because of it. They are right by me when I need advice, boost of confidence or sometimes a shoulder to cry on. It’s a great feeling to celebrate with them.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/selincuhadaroglu

Other: www.tiktok.com/selincuhadaroglu0

Image Credits
Portrait picture with green top – Ciro Hurtado