Buse İskenderoğlu, from Bursa, is known for her Miss Turkey crown and today combines modelling with TV presenting. In this interview she talked about her pageant days, her Miss World experience and her first acting experience.
Hello Buse,
First of all, thank you for kindly accepting our interview. I’ll move on to the questions without taking up too much of your time. To begin with, could you tell us a little about yourself?
-Hello. I’m 22. I’m from Bursa and I’ve been modelling since I was 17. After Miss Turkey I moved to Istanbul for good, and now, as you know, I do both presenting and modelling.
You won Miss Turkey 2016, which is perhaps the dream of many girls. Is there a moment from the competition you say you will never forget?
-Actually, I came back from the competition with lots of lovely memories to tell. I had a wonderful time at the camp. The first thing that comes to mind is the moments when the girls and I met up in the room at night and gossiped. Every night, no matter how tired and sleepless we were, we would get together and chat until morning. We would make our own predictions about who might win.
Apart from that, I think of our rehearsals. We got very tired, but despite that the camp was wonderful.
Are there friends you met at the competition whom you still see?
-Yes, there are friends I still see. Ecem Çırpan passed her crown on to me, and today she is my best friend.
What changed in your life after the competition?
-What changed most after the competition was the pace of my life. Of course, lots of other things changed too: my circle grew, and I started doing modelling more professionally. You could say it truly became my profession.
You earned the right to represent Turkey at the world beauty pageant MISS WORLD. Is there a memory from MISS WORLD you’d like to share?
-The Miss World camp was many times harder and more tiring than the Miss Turkey camp. We had rehearsals every day from morning till night. For 1 month we kept up a gruelling pace every single day. But I made some wonderful friendships. I made lots of friends from many countries. Luckily for me, that year the competition was in Washington, in America, and one day they surprised us by taking us to New York. New York was the place I most wanted to live in and most wanted to see. So that surprise was a perfect stroke of luck for me. The moment I first arrived is a wonderful memory I will never forget.
Life as a presenter
You currently present the programme Cumartesi Sürprizi on Show TV. Have you ever had to report on people you really don’t like?
-Of course, things like that can happen, but because I do my job in the most professional way, I don’t see it that way in the moment, and honestly that thought doesn’t even cross my mind.
What do you like most and least about yourself?
-What I like about myself is that I’m energetic; I always find the energy to do everything, and that makes me love life even more. Apart from that, when there’s something I want to do, I can really put my mind to it and do it. I really love that about myself. One of the traits I don’t like is that I can sometimes be too lazy about certain things.
Style and body
Which part of your body do you like most? Do you diet or exercise?
-I think I like my legs the most. I don’t diet, but I exercise and go walking very often.
Are there any brands, fashion editors or bloggers you follow?
-The brand I follow most often is Balenciaga. They’re not bloggers, but there are a few celebrities whose style I like most and feel closest to, such as Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Lena Perminova. Among Turkish names, I find the style of Yasemin Özilhan and Ece Sükan very close to my own
If you had to save three things from your clothes or accessories, what would they be?
-My jeans, a shirt and my baggy basic T-shirts
How would you describe your style?
-I think the word that describes my style is sporty-chic. Effortless style really suits me. The piece I can’t do without in my style is my jeans.
Film and books
Is there a film or book that has left a mark on you?
-The metaphors and storytelling of the film Mother! affected me a lot.
Finally, at the end of November your feature film, in which you are the only female cast member, will be released.
Could you tell us a little about the film? Was it your first acting experience? Were there challenging aspects to acting?
-The film tells the story of a journey taken by four male friends. Of course, they get into lots of trouble along the way. I play the girlfriend of one of the group. It was my first acting experience. I was very nervous at first, but we got on really well with the team at the table reads; they were all so warm, and that put me at ease. By the time we were shooting, all my nerves had gone and it went very well. We had a lot of fun and laughed a lot while filming. I hope the audience likes it too. Because it’s my first film and my first acting experience, this project will always have a special place for me.
Highlights from the Buse İskenderoğlu interview
According to what she told us in the interview, Buse İskenderoğlu has been modelling since she was 17 and moved to Istanbul after Miss Turkey. She also says that Ecem Çırpan passed her crown on to her and that today the two are best friends. She also describes the Miss World camp, where she represented Turkey, as far more intense than the Miss Turkey camp, with a pace packed with rehearsals every day for a month.
- Her style: She describes her own style as sporty-chic and “effortless”; the piece she can’t do without is jeans.
- The brand she follows: Balenciaga.
- A new experience: She had her first acting experience in a feature film about a journey taken by four male friends.
For a conversation with another young model from the runway, take a look at our interview with Betül Ekşi. For the history of the competition and its past winners, see the Miss Turkey entry on Wikipedia.