Meryem Uzerli-Starring Age-Gap Romance ‘RU’ Marks the ‘Next Chapter of Turkish Drama’: ‘It’s About Speaking Up for Yourself as a Woman’

In Meryem Uzerli-starring show “RU,” a married woman falls in love with a much younger man. But it’s not just about another age-gap romance following Anne Hathaway’s “The Idea of You” or Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl,” which brought her an award in Venice. 

“Where is my award?,” joked Uzerli at MipCom during a panel spotlighting “The Future of Turkish Storytelling.”

“It’s true that recently, there have been other shows about such age gaps, but I just think that women are such individual beings. It’s never the same,” she said, talking about her headstrong protagonist Reyan who suddenly falls for Uzer (Burak Berkay Akgül), 20 years younger than her. Predictably, her family and her community are quick to condemn her. 

“When I’m reading scripts, I’m always wondering: ‘What makes me feel most alive?’ For me, it wasn’t about that age gap at all. I just felt alive, meeting her and going deeper into her life journey. I wanted to make her feel alive, too.”

Madd Managing Director Ateş İnce described “RU,” which will be getting a second season, as “the next chapter of Turkish drama.”

“With this kind of content, we are trying to reach other territories, like the US. Turkey is very good at telling love stories. This is still a love story, but about a different kind of love that maybe we wouldn’t be able to do on free TV. Also, Meryem is a global star. It’s going to travel fast.”  

The eight-episode series, made by Medyapım, has been available on Turkish streaming platform Gain.

“In the future, it will be difficult to convince people they have to watch your show on a Tuesday night. For my son or for any young person, it’s already not the case. This show is great for a digital platform,” said Medyapım President Fatih Aksoy.

“We used to get the interest of people who watch three to four hours of television a day, after work. Now, people need seven hours just to decide what to watch! They need more content and I am a content producer. Things are changing and [new generations] will watch different things, but we are going to produce content. Today, tomorrow, and ten years later.” 

He also praised Uzerli’s performance.

“It’s really great. I’ve loved her before and now, I love her even more.” 

Uzerli, known for the period drama “Magnificent Century,” discussed her bold new role.  

“As artists, we shouldn’t be safe. If I would always do the same kinds of projects, it would be so boring,” she admitted at Cannes. 

“I am very boring in my private life, but [at work] I want to try something new and I want to grow. The journey of this character, her emotional range… I am so excited for this second season. I can’t wait to live her life again.” 

Even though Reyan and Uzer’s love affair won’t be easy.

“That’s so important: all we need is love. And sometimes it comes with difficulty and drama. As I said, this show is not just about their age gap, although it’s a huge part of it. It’s about young adults trying to find themselves, it’s about mothers, societal pressures, finding yourself and speaking up for yourself as a woman,” she added, noting that these days, one of the most important things is simply “finding our own voice.” 

“And making sure that we, as women, live our life the way we think is right – without hurting anyone, of course. It’s so inspiring.”

This story is presented in partnership with MADD Entertainment.