TAKE THREE
The 3m-to-1 triplets who are already film set veterans … at the age of three
MEET the triplets who beat odds of three million to one at birth – and are now earning thousands from a film career even though they’ve only just turned three.
Brothers Kuzey, Koray and Ayaz Cerikci have become a familiar sight on TV and movie sets, including forthcoming blockbuster Mary Queen Of Scots starring A-listers Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan.
Kuzey and Koray are in demand because they are identical, meaning that directors can double the time usually available for recording scenes with young actors by swapping them over between takes.
Ayaz is non-identical and so doesn’t join in their filming, but he goes everywhere with his brothers and their earnings are divided between the three.
The triplets live in Chelmsford, Essex, with their mother Claire and Turkishborn father Gurcan, both 39, and three other siblings.
Mrs Cerikci signed them up to an agency the day after they were born and the first job came along five months later in BBC1 crime drama Silent Witness.
‘Kuzey and Koray did eight days’ filming playing the baby of one of the characters,’ she said. ‘They were on location for as much as five hours a day and the filming revolved around them. They were amazing, they were so natural.
‘The director would ask my advice and make us feel wanted on set. We had such an amazing experience.’
She added: ‘I think it would have been make or break and could have put us off but they did everything they could to make it as easy as possible for us.’
From today Kuzey and Koray can be seen in Sky Atlantic’s new kidnap thriller Save Me, starring Doctor Foster’s Suranne Jones.
‘They were so natural’
Mrs Cerikci said: ‘They’re in a few scenes with an actor called Thomas Coombes, with both boys playing one child. We were behind the camera watching and he was really good with them.
‘The actors would come into the trailer and play with the boys, which I think made a big difference. They managed to get 20 takes and the director said normally they get three or four with boys their age.
‘I think it helps that I’m quite relaxed and go with the flow so I think that rubs off on the boys. Usually they are happy to do what’s asked of them.’
Arguably the brothers’ biggest role to date has been playing a young Prince James in the historical epic Mary Queen Of Scots, which was filmed in London and Edinburgh late last year.
In some scenes they were held by Oscar nominee Miss Ronan, who plays the title character opposite Miss Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I.
The acting jobs have brought in around £8,000 so far, which is being saved for the boys.
‘We split the money between all three of them. Even though Ayaz doesn’t do any of the filming he always comes to the sets with us,’ said their mother.
Photographs of all three boys have also been used by more than 50 companies including toy and clothing firms after their mother came to attention by documenting her life on Facebook.
‘They don’t make any money from modelling clothes but they often get sent free stuff, which comes in handy as it’s expensive to buy for three children,’ said Mrs Cerikci, whose husband runs an oven cleaning service. The triplets made news as soon as they were born in January 2015 because Kuzey and Koray had shared the same amniotic sac and placenta while in the womb, a rare condition known as ‘mono mono’ or monoamniotic-monochorionic.
Combined with the fact that they had been conceived naturally, doctors said this made the odds of Mrs Cerikci’s pregnancy around one in 3.2million. The growth of IVF treatments has increased the chance of multiple pregnancies.
The boys were born prematurely by caesarean section, with Kuzey and Koray weighing 3lb 13oz and Ayaz 4lb 2oz.
They were taken to the high dependency unit at University College Hospital in London, spending a month there before being allowed home.
Now they are thriving, and their mother thinks Kuzey is the most likely to go into acting full-time when he is older because he is the most outgoing.
‘Kuzey is really cheeky and very photogenic, he’s the most outgoing of the three,’ she said. ‘Ayaz is the most stubborn and probably absorbs the most – he picks things up very quickly.
‘Koray is sensitive and caring. He really shows his emotions and if he sees that you’re hurt he will run over and give you a kiss.’
Mrs Cerikci added: ‘They’re such unique little boys, partly because they are triplets and Kuzey and Koray are identical. I’m so proud of them. They are my little superstars.’