Who is Yalin Ozucelik?
I’m an actor living in Sydney. I first started performing on stage as a 10 year old in Tasmania playing a piglet (the first of many animals). Acting won me over and my passionate interest followed me up to Brisbane in my teens where it eventually became my profession at La Boite Theatre. Subsequently, the call of NIDA brought me to Sydney over ten years ago.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
Get up earlier probably. But if I wasn’t acting maybe I’d be a detective or a scientist or something. I’m curious about details.
Who inspires you and why?
My fiancée Lizzie inspires me every day with her perspicacity, intelligence and work ethic. So do my parents, who made an enviable life for themselves from not much at all. Between the three of them I have learned much about love and life.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I hope I already have in my small way. It’s hard to convince oneself and others, particularly in our current political climate, that a performer in the Arts can make a difference in the world. But we can – we all can in our own way.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Last January we went to Lech in Austria for a family ski holiday, my first. It was extraordinary. Like being in a snow globe and on a roller coaster at the same time. My other favourite is a small island off the coast of Turkey filled with vineyards, beaches and great people. Don’t go there, too many tourists will spoil it.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
I’d probably take them to one of Sydney’s beaches and maybe a coastal walk. But I love food, so it would probably be about taking them to my favourite eateries after that.
What are you currently reading?
Othello by William Shakespeare! I’ve been reading it for a couple of months now. The more I delve, the more I see. It has some of the most extraordinary scenes ever written I think. It’s now my favourite Shakespeare play. Also I recently finished reading Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy – brilliant!
What are you currently listening to?
Lizzie put me on to a podcast called More Perfect – about the Supreme Court in the US. I love law trivia.
Happiness is?
Lizzie and Jumphry Bogart – our rabbit.
What does the future hold for you?
A lot of travel as we take Othello around the country! Come and check it out.
Yalin is starring as Iago in Bell Shakespeare’s production of Othello – playing at Arts Centre Melbourne: 14 – 23 July 2016, before embarking on a national tour of Australia. For more information and touring dates, visit: www.bellshakespeare.com.au for details.
Image: Yalin Ozucelik