Is Galileo or Giordano Bruno right? | Levent Ülgen | TEDxMETUAnkara

Levent Ülgen says "The issue is not about being captured, it's all about standing firm," and he advises us to always follow our dreams and beliefs.

He graduated from the Department of Physics at METU and joined the Ankara Public Theatre and then the Ankara Theatre of Art. Meanwhile, he had the opportunity to study in the Theatre Department at Hacettepe University Conservatory. He continued his theatre experience with various plays and various roles. After his graduation, he started to work as an actor and director in the State Theatres. Levent Ülgen, who became known throughout the country with his character "Hallederiz Kadir" in the series called "En Son Babalar Duyar" in 2002, plays an active role in nongovernmental organisation projects.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

I said I wasn't excited,
but look what I've done.

I dropped the papers as soon as I came.

I'm really excited;

this is so different from being on stage.

You're all welcome.

I'm really excited,
but nobody believes me.

(Laughter)

I'm excited, I see it now.

Well, did I say welcome? Yes, I did.

I don't know who shared what
on social media,

but it's something like this,
and many of you have read it and asked me.

"Levent Ülgen, who is playing
the role of Sinan in Akasya Durağı,

graduated in Physics
from METU with a grade 4."

(Laughter)

Well, I brought along
my academic record with me.

(Laughter)

Honestly, thanks to my grades.

(Applause)

"It was 1979. I entered METU
in the prep year.

Then there was a strike.

(Laughter)

In the first grade,
I hardly learned English.

Disgusting fights every day.

First semester: 0,83.

Second semester: 1,50.

(Laughter)

Failed, repeat.

(Laughter)

I was studying first grade
in the second year: 2,25.

Second semester: 2,74.

Second grade: 2,03; maths,
complex calculus burnt me up.

After that, 2,17. I passed to third grade.

2,47.

2,83.

Last grade: 3,07. Honour list.

(Applause)

And last semester: 4,00!"

(Applause)

Academic record, by God!

I took lessons in Silicone Technology
and History of World Theatre.

One of them was optional,
but did I finish with a 4,00?

Yes, I did.

Do I have a degree? Yes.

Some don't even have degrees.

(Applause)

Thank God, I have two big diplomas -

one from METU and one from Hacettepe.

That's it, keep this between us, okay?

Everyone thinks I finished with a 4,0,
but they think I finished in 4 years.

Keep this between us.

But there's a 4,00 on the academic record,

I can show it.

Well, I went to high school
in Bozkır, Konya, for two years

because of my father's job.

Third year, we were appointed to Ankara.

My father was an officer,

so you know the political issues.

My father came home one night.

He gave me 250 liras,
which was the currency then, and said,

"I enrolled you in the course.

I paid for the first one.
This is the second payment.

You can have fun
in a bar or nightclub with this

or you can pay the fee,

get into university, study properly,

and save yourself,

because I cannot give you a factory,
a shop, a workbench, nor a farm;

the only way out is by studying."

That night, I cried until morning.

I was like, "Oh, why does he say that?

And why is our financial situation bad?"

The next day,
I was enrolled in the course.

While I was doing the course,

I began to get interested in theatre.

I started watching plays.

The first play - I didn't have
the chance to go to the theatre

because we were outside Ankara
for a long time -

the first play that I watched
was in the Ankara Art Theater,

"Sakıncalı Piyade" by Uğur Mumcu.

I was very impressed,
I really liked the theatre.

It was like another world.

Then I started to watch theatre
once a week on the weekends

when I went to class.

Then we took the exams.

The results didn't come in
two minutes like they do now,

we had to wait 2-3 months.

While waiting for the results,

I was walking down
Menekşe street with my friends,

and I saw the Ankara
Public Theatre's signboard.

At that moment,
I said I would be an actor.

"I will be an actor," I said.
My friends laughed at me.

I went, there were courses.

I was enrolled.

One month later, the news came,

I had gained entry
to study Physics at METU.

Nice.

So I passed the first stage
for my father at METU, a good university.

By the way, it was my 17th choice.

(Laughter)

We make 18 choices, mine was the 17th.

18th was Language and History, Theatre.

Theatre courses, METU,
prep school, I hardly passed.

My English was always bad,
it was always a problem.

By the way, in all those five years
of studying Physics

I never read and understood
a question in English.

Always guessing: if it gives
the acceleration, it asks about the speed;

if it gives the speed,
it asks about the time.

Well, maths was easy; when I saw
"find the value", I could solve it,

but I didn't solve them by understanding.

Let me say that.

I could hardly pass prep school.

First year, as I said,
I had fail grades on my academic record.

My father thought the reason
for that was my interest in theatre.

But he had an interest in art too.

He read poems well.

He even wrote poems; at least he tried.

I said, "Don't mess with my theatre
and I'll bring you that diploma."

Promise? Promise.

That's the reason for my rebelling.

In order to escape to theatre quickly,

I saved my allowance by doing theatre

in the Ankara Public Theatre
and the Ankara Art Theatre.

I did theatre,

and as soon as I presented
this diploma to my father,

the first thing I did
was to run to the Conservatory.

I got into the theatre department.

I swear, I graduated, ranking first again.

But this time it was not like...
I really graduated, ranking first.

Then began the story
of the State Theatres.

I entered the State Theatres.

I was appointed to Trabzon.

In those times, I loved the theatre.

On the first day
when I watched the theatre,

it was like love at first sight.

It was like that for me.

It was like a monster inside me.

I couldn't sleep without it.
Even my dreams were about theatre.

I went to Trabzon as a graduate,
an actor and an employee

for the State Theatre,

but I felt tremendous pressure
because of my political views.

Because I started in Ankara State Theatre,

continued in Ankara Art Theatre,
graduated from METU;

so I don't need to say
what was my opinion.

I felt great pressure on me
from the administration.

Or I thought so.

And I was interfering
in all kinds of mistakes, injustices,

and I was opposing them,
I was an opponent, a rebel to the core.

That made the administration angry,

and they imposed many punishments on me.

And I started to get tired, afraid,

and I felt daunted.

One night, I said, "There's no sense
in dissenting and opposing so much,

I better get along
with the administration.

I give up."

Just then, I saw books
I loved in the library.

There were books by Nazım.

I took one of them,
Bursa Prison, and read it.

He spent 13 years in prison, 13 years.

There he wrote poems and sagas.

He taught painting to the people there.

He learnt weaving from them.
He resisted for 13 years.

And I couldn't resist 13 months, huh?

How shameful! I felt ashamed.

I said, "The issue
is not about being captured,

it's all about standing firm."

And there, for the first time,
I decided to stand firm.

Then, while my life continued in Trabzon,

Melih Cevdet Anday
came to Trabzon one day.

I was opposing the administration again.

I was vociferous.

It got Melih Cevdet Anday's attention.

He said, "Can I ask
you something, young man?"

"Sure," I said.

"Do you know Galileo?" he said.

And I said, "Of course,
I know Galileo, sir, I'm a physicist,

and Bertolt Brecht's play about him
was performed in Ankara Theatre.

I've played in it;
it was my first play as a trainee."

"Well," he said,

"do you know Giordano Bruno?"

"Of course," I said,
"there is a play about him too.

I've read it as well."

"I liked it very much," I said.

And in the story I'm going to tell
later on, I had the opportunity to play

the role of Giordano Bruno
in Ankara State Theatre.

"Yes, I know him," I said.

"So, which one is right?" he asked,

"Which one do you approve of?"

"Giordano Bruno, of course," I said.

He said, "Why?"

"Because Galileo had given up,
became scared, took a step back;

he said that the world
wasn't the centre of the universe,

but he took a step back
when he saw the inquisition's tormentors,

he purposely lied.

Okay, he went home, and under house arrest
he wrote his last work,

but he still denied himself.

But is Giordano like that?

He resisted torture
from the Inquisition for seven years,

and they even nailed his tongue
to his palate to silence him,

but he tore his palate and said,

'God is within every man,

the world isn't the centre
of the universe.'

Of course, I support
and believe this man."

He said, "How old are you, my son?"

I said, "28."

He said, "Let's talk again
when you're 48."

(Laughter)

I'm 55 years old, and thank God,
I still believe in Giordano Bruno,

I still defend him.

(Applause)

Of course, it's impossible for me to be
as stubborn and brave as Giordano Bruno,

but at least Giordano Bruno
is always in my heart.

And the day when I played
the role in Ankara State Theatre,

it was Saturday.

I experienced something
which caused me to appreciate

the reason and determination
of my profession choice

and my persistence, my stubbornness.

There were some lively youngsters there.

And some of our friends said,

"Some people brought along
middle school children.

This is a dense play,
should we perform it?"

Because Giordano agonises
and is burnt at the end.

He even tears his tongue
while being burnt.

"Never mind," we said, "let's do it."
And we performed it.

When it was over,
some of the students ran to the exit.

From their clothes,
it was obvious they were from the slums,

that they were poor.

Well, they wanted to talk to me.

They said the name of their school.
I don't remember its name,

but probably it was
in a poor neighbourhood.

I asked if they were from middle school.

They said they were from high school.

"High school first grade?"

"No, last grade," they said.

I said, "But there's a university
entrance exam tomorrow."

And they said that their teachers
brought them here to reassure them

and not to think
of the exam on the last day.

"How nice," I said.

Then a girl came over ...

I'm sorry, I find this really moving.

She said, "I want to go to university,

I know that it's important
to study at a university.

But after watching this,
I'm definitely going to university."

It was a record for me to gain
even one person in this profession.

The greatest success.

(Applause)

I knew I'd be excited,
but I've never thought I'd cry.

I really never felt the ebb and flow
in my interest in theatre.

I decided from the very beginning,
I fell in love from the beginning

and always loved it,
because I believed in theatre.

I believed that theatre would make me
a truer, better person.

I hope it did.

Thank you.

(Applause)