Eloise Sarasini travelled from England to Türkiye for the Sivas shoot of “Yemek The Movie”, a film in which nine directors work with a shared creative vision to connect stories spanning from the 1770s to the present day. Arriving in an Anatolian city she knew nothing about, Sarasini experienced the same journey of discovery as the character she portrays. The film’s lead director and director of the Sivas story, Ebru Cengiz Ergen, said Sarasini left her deeply impressed by her adaptability, authentic performance and energy in front of the camera.
Bringing together stories set in different cities through a shared narrative spanning from the 1770s to the present day, “Yemek The Movie” is preparing to meet audiences with a distinctive structure shaped by the collective creative vision of nine directors.
Ebru Cengiz Ergen serves as the film’s lead director while also directing the story set in Sivas.
For the Sivas shoot, Ergen was looking for an actress who could carry the sense of discovery written into the screenplay—someone who had not lost the excitement in her spirit, who remained open to the world around her and who could adapt quickly to the role. When she described what she was looking for to her producing partner Cem Kaplan, he recommended England-based actress Eloise Sarasini.
Ergen described her search for the actress as follows:
“For the Sivas story, I needed an actress who was bright and lively, who had not lost the excitement in her spirit and who remained open to discovery. I was looking for someone who could express that sense of curiosity through her expressions, her posture and her entire presence—and who could adapt to the role very quickly. Cem Kaplan recommended Eloise Sarasini.”
Because Sarasini would be travelling from England to join the production in Türkiye, the director and actress had no opportunity to meet in person before filming. Their first conversation took place over WhatsApp. Yet for Ergen, that brief exchange was enough to decide that she could entrust Sarasini with the character she had created.
“We did not have the chance to meet face to face. We spoke over WhatsApp, but her energy reached me immediately. I understood that I could trust her and place the character I had created in her hands. She came all the way from England to Sivas, an Anatolian city she knew absolutely nothing about, and created something wonderful there.”
THE ACTRESS AND HER CHARACTER STEPPED INTO THE SAME UNKNOWN
Eloise Sarasini’s real-life journey carried a striking parallel with the story of the character she portrays.
In the film, Eloise travels to Sivas on an assignment given to her by Ellen, with whom she has since lost contact. Unsure of what she is supposed to do in the city, the young woman has only one lead: she must find Hüseyin. Through him, she learns Rüya’s story while confronting her own emotions within a city and a way of life she has never known.
Sarasini likewise travelled from England to Sivas, a city she had never previously encountered, and experienced her character’s uncertainty in real life. Her curiosity towards the city, its people and its culture became inseparable from the character’s own journey of discovery.
Ergen said she was deeply impressed by Sarasini’s ability to adapt to unexpected developments during filming and leave external distractions behind the moment she stepped in front of the camera:
“She was able to set aside every changing circumstance she encountered during the shoot and focus entirely on her character as soon as the camera started rolling. Her ability to adapt in the moment, take ownership of the character and leave behind anything that might have affected her motivation made me admire her as a director.”
THE RAKI SCENE AFTER AN EXHAUSTING DAY
The screenplay included a scene in which Eloise drinks rakı. Sarasini was already exhausted after an intense day of filming, but she did not want the moment to be imitated. She wanted the scene to feel real.
She drank the rakı and stepped in front of the camera, never allowing her exhaustion to diminish her performance.
Ergen explained what the scene meant to her:
“What mattered to me was not that she drank rakı. What mattered was that, despite all her exhaustion, she never stepped outside the character and remained committed to the truth of the scene until the very end. She drank her rakı, faced the camera and delivered a wonderful performance on top of all that fatigue.”
HEARING AN ANATOLIAN FOLK DANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME
During the Sivas shoot, Sarasini also encountered Anatolian folk dance music for the first time. Although she had never heard the music before, she listened to it, found its rhythm and danced naturally without needing lengthy direction.
Ergen said the actress did not simply imitate the movements; she understood the feeling of the culture she had entered:
“She had never heard the music before. We did not need to explain at length what she should do. She listened, she felt it and she danced. Even within a musical culture so far removed from her own, she never looked out of place. Eloise does not simply learn movements—she understands the spirit of the world around her very quickly.”
STRONG EARLY PRAISE FOR ELOISE SARASINI
In the first critical responses to “Yemek The Movie”, Eloise Sarasini’s performance was cited as one of the film’s notable strengths. Her energy, range and screen presence distinguished her as one of the production’s standout performers.
Ergen said the confidence she placed in Sarasini before they had even met was validated by the film’s early critical reception:
“I was not the only person who saw Eloise’s energy. The first critics to watch the film also specifically highlighted her acting ability, her strength on screen and the vitality she brought to every scene. I trusted her before we had ever met face to face. She carried that trust all the way from England to Sivas and truly made the character I created her own.”
Eloise Sarasini did not travel to Sivas merely to perform a role in “Yemek The Movie”. She entered a city, a culture, a musical tradition and a story she had never known—and discovered her character within them.