Aybüke Pusat: the woman who always chooses herself

The story of Aybüke Pusat is not about “sudden luck” — it’s about how talent and stubbornness collide with the system, and who ends up winning. 

This girl from Ankara could have danced The Nutcracker on the world’s finest stages — but fate played a cruel joke. A hip injury put an end to her ballet dream. She could have become “Miss Universe,” but she chose a film set over the Philippines. She once played in the Turkish version of ‘’Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’’ and won enough money for a trip. And now she’s the actress who got fired over an Instagram story. Welcome to the life of Aybüke Pusat — where no plan ever works out, yet everything somehow turns out better.

Biographical facts

Aybüke Pusat was born in Ankara in 1995. She started ballet lessons at the age of three and took it so seriously that, after finishing school, she entered the ballet department in Istanbul. She dreamed of the stage, but a hip injury ended her career as a ballerina. Long treatment, boredom at home, and an unexpected phone call from friends — who had secretly signed her up for ‘’Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’’ — changed everything. She spent her winnings on travel. Later came the ‘’Miss Turkey’’ pageant, where she took third place and turned down the trip to Miss Universe — for the sake of cinema.

Shows you may have seen her in: “50 m2,” “This Is My Life,” “Falcon Hill” (where she’s practically a modern Juliet), “Everywhere I Go,” “Countdown Point.” Her co-stars — Engin Öztürk, Zerrin Tekindor, Didem İnselel — are among the brightest names in Turkish cinema.

From an interview with Elele magazine

“I stopped making plans. I let life flow a little more freely. Life is what happens while you’re making plans. That’s really the story I’m living.”

Ballet, injury, and the “Become a Millionaire” adventure

What’s most striking about Aybüke’s story is her calm in the face of collapse. Her whole life was ballet — years at the barre, acceptance into a top dance school, almost a prima ballerina. And then, bang — an injury. The doctors shrug: “Sorry, kid, dancing’s not for you.” She could have broken down, or studied business (which she actually did — business administration), or just stayed home and sulked.

But her friends — true pranksters — secretly entered her for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Imagine getting a call saying, “Aybüke, you’re on the show tomorrow!” She didn’t back out. In 2013, she appeared on TV for the first time and answered seven questions correctly. The prize wasn’t money — it was direction.

She spent it not on investments, but on travel — experience over savings. Even then, her character was clear: don’t bury your gifts, invest them in life.

The Miss who said “no” to the Universe

What would you do if you placed third in Miss Turkey? Most would rush to Miss Universe for fame and the crown. Not Pusat. She looked at the ticket to the Philippines and said, “No thanks, I have filming.” A move that infuriated agents and producers, but perfectly summed up her principles. She already knew what she wanted — and it wasn’t parading in a swimsuit. She wanted to act.

And she got her chance. First, small TV roles (Medcezir, Five Brothers). Then a significant role as a young doctor in the military drama The Promise. And then came Falcon Hill — the show that made her widely recognized. A forbidden love story often compared to Romeo and Juliet. Indeed, her life and character both carry something Shakespearean.

A curious fact: 7 is Aybüke’s magic number. She studied ballet for 7 years, answered 7 questions right on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? — and while most contestants fail at question seven, she didn’t.

“Everywhere I Go” — and freedom everywhere

2019 became a turning point for her. She landed the leading role in the romantic comedy Everywhere I Go. Selin — a woman who, by a twist of fate, ends up sharing a house with her stubborn boss. For Aybüke, it was a breath of fresh air after years of dramatic roles.

“Romantic comedy is a genre I’m trying for the first time. I was a bit tired of playing drama, trapped inside it. I feel freer here — physically and spiritually,” she admitted in an interview.

Behind-the-scenes photos showed a new side of her: light, funny, ironic. She’s not afraid to look silly — a rare quality among Turkish actresses of her rank.

The woman who bites the hand that feeds her

Now to the controversial part. In 2025, Aybüke Pusat was one of the stars of Intelligence, a major series on the state channel TRT1. Everything was fine — until she posted an Instagram story calling for an economic boycott: “Don’t shop on April 2.”

The system reacted instantly. The channel issued an official statement:

“The posts made by one of the actresses of Intelligence do not reflect TRT’s corporate principles. Due to statements that disappointed our audience, this individual has been excluded from the project.”

She was fired. The script had to be rewritten, and the fifth season re-shot. A spy-series actress dismissed for expressing her civic opinion — irony at its finest.

Aybüke avoided public comment. But her colleagues — Cem Yılmaz, Burcu Biricik, Boran Kuzum — defended her, stating that she simply exercised her constitutional right to free speech.

She didn’t become a millionaire on a TV show — but she became someone willing to pay the highest price for her principles: her job.

Aybüke’s philosophy on love and life

“What is love? I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone does. Everyone has their own formula — you can fall in love with a dog or a flower. I also don’t think it’s right to code emotions.”

She confirmed that she has a partner, but who he is — remains private. And that’s her choice.

Who is she off-screen?

Forget the glamorous influencers. Aybüke is different.

1. She’s a dog lover. Her pet often accompanies her to magazine shoots. She’s a passionate defender of animal rights and doesn’t understand how people can buy pets while so many stray ones need homes. “I get really angry about that... Honestly, it takes courage to abandon an animal.”
   
   
2. She’s a homebody. Not into parties — prefers quiet evenings with friends and her plants. A night owl, most creative after dark.
   
   
3. A ballerina at heart. She has a room at home just for dancing.
   
   
4. A bookworm. But not into pop psychology. She reads sociology and psychology, hates self-help books: “Everyone has their own formula; everyone is unique.”
   
   
5. Gluten intolerant, but obsessed with desserts and white sugar — her “biggest sin.”
   
   
   

Her story isn’t about becoming a star. It’s about staying yourself — when the world, the system, or a hip injury tries to break you.

She is a ballerina who doesn’t dance, an actress fired for truth, a beauty queen who said “no” to the universe. And she’s only just getting started.