PSYCHO THERAPY: An Interview With Filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik About His New Steve Buscemi Comedy

Interview

Cinema Scholars’ own Glen Dower recently interviewed writer and director Tolga Karaçelik about his new comedy-drama, Psycho Therapy. The film began limited screenings in New York City theaters on April 4, 2025 and will go nationwide and on VOD, Friday April 11th.

Lightly edited for content and clarity.

Glen Dower:

Mr. Karaçelik, how are you, good sir?

Tolga Karaçelik:

I’m good, thank you. How are you?

Glen Dower:

I’m excellent. We are talking on April Fool’s Day.  Have you emerged unscathed or been fooled? 

Tolga Karaçelik:

No, not yet. Well, only when I was called ‘sir’ just now from you. Ha!

Glen Dower:

I meant it, I meant it…

Tolga Karaçelik:

I know, I know, I’m joking.

Glen Dower:

Ok, so let’s talk about Psycho Therapy, or to give it its full title, The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer. And you’re the writer of The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer. Can you tell me what your inspirations were, as the film takes so many twists and turns, and the characters are so well written?

Tolga Karaçelik:

This is my fourth film now, my fourth feature film, and I had, I think, six shorts before. I’m always a writer and director, most probably a writer first and then a director. I recall Glen, Thom Yorke (of the British rock band, Radiohead) saying after his fourth album was released, that this is the first time that I realized an artist doesn’t need to suffer to create. So this is the first time while I was writing, I enjoyed it so much. I didn’t care where it was going! And I just continued being a little bit selfish and funny to myself.

While I was writing, I was shouting to my wife who was in the living room  ‘he’s done this, she’s said that’ and I’d take her notes, and carry on writing. And carried on like this I think for seven or eight-something years ago. And it was something else, then it was just about a serial killer and a writer, then a serial killer tries to make this writer write about himself.

Then I got married, and marriage came into the blend. And then there was another script that I was writing also about that Neanderthal man and a homosapien lady, which is true, by the way, that I tried to write that script also, the thing that we had seen at the beginning of the film, which was an unsuccessful attempt. So I wanted to make a movie about believing in continuing to be a couple. It’s like what Don Quixote said, ‘if you believe it will be a reality.’ So I think it ended up being about them, how to become and continue being a couple or family.

Glen Dower:

And that takes work, of course. Absolutely. Been there myself. And you need Steve Buscemi, of course, to sort your life out for you. I just want to talk about Steve Buscemi. Now, as part of my prep, I watched the trailer on YouTube, and every comment was pretty much my original thought: which was ‘Steve Buscemi? I’m in.’ And one of the things I love about Steve Buscemi is he’s reached that age now where he just doesn’t age anymore. He could be 45, 55, 65, and you’d be fine with that. He just has that quality and is just so watchable. How did you approach him with this movie? Of course, he played a serial killer before in Con Air, which is one of his signature roles. Was he your first choice? 

Tolga Karaçelik:

Yes. Steve Buscemi, like what you said, is ageless because his mind is ageless. He is mostly younger than me in his mind also. And one of the most gentle people that I have worked with, and I’m proud to call him a friend now. But he was the first one to get into this film. He was the first person who jumped on the boat and he was a compadre to them like he never let go. He was always next to me, fighting for the movie. And with grace, with delicacy. He was always there helping me. He was there, as a friend, to fight for the film.

I would never have thought that I would be directing Steve Buscemi, to be honest with you, in my English-language debut film. But the thing is, I remember the first Zoom that we had. I think there were like 15 minutes for it to start. So, I think mistakenly I brushed my teeth, I don’t know why, two times in a row or something like that. And when the Zoom started, I just told him, I had to get it off my chest. ‘You’re a legend. I love you.’ 

He started to talk to me about the character that I had written, laughing, in this Zoom call! He was telling me ‘Then he does that, then he says…’ Yes, Steve, I know I wrote the film! But he was so in love with the character of Kollmick. He had this joy in his eyes. The sparkle in his eyes was something that I also get when I love something that I’m doing. It’s like feeling like a five-year-old. I was so lucky and happy that day. And not one day, not one moment while working with him, did he do me wrong. It was really good working with him.

Glen Dower:

That’s great. We can’t ask for more. So the reception of the film has been very positive. I’ve now checked, and the film is an 8.6 on IMDB, which is fantastic news. I wanted to ask what kind of research went into the script. Because it’s laugh-out-loud funny, of course, but there are real moments of depth. You do feel for the lead character, but you also feel like he’s a bit of an idiot sometimes. But of course, that’s the balance. Did you research serial killing and marriage counseling? And did they cross over here and there?

Tolga Karaçelik:

I researched medical examiners a lot. I don’t know why, but I think I was in Sundance with my last movie. And I think it was over there that I came into the names of some medical examiners over there. I was there with Butterflies, my last movie that was in Sundance. And I was, I think, in New York City, and I opened this New York Times crossword puzzle, and there was this name of this medical examiner. I said, ‘Well, what’s a medical examiner?’

Then I started reading about medical examiners and autopsies and the like, and there are some cool guys over there. So, I started reading more. I don’t know why. My interest is all the things that I’m not interested in. So you can find me reading about something that I have no idea what it’s about. I don’t know why I started reading about medical examiners, but, in the end, it got into this movie.

Glen Dower:

That’s cool. I just want to talk quickly. One more question about Brit Lower, of course, who’s having great success in Severance, which has become one of my favorite television shows. What was she like to work with?

Tolga Karaçelik:

Yes, I did watch that too, of course. Working with her was also so much fun. She’s open-minded, as is John Magaro, our lead. All the actors in this movie are what the director always looks for. When you’re working with these kinds of like crafted and able actors, it’s just like, you just try to put the frame on the same place. Like this is the place that we want to go. This is the place. And then just let them do their thing and enjoy watching every bit of what they’re doing. Then ask, maybe we can do this a little bit. Maybe this? What about that?

Glen Dower:

Great. Great news. Well, I could talk to you all day, of course, but my time is up. Thank you so much for your time. And I really enjoyed the movie. I can’t wait to tell everyone about it. Take care.

Tolga Karaçelik:

Thank you Glen.