[Interview①] Park Shin-hye "Thirst for Transformation 많음, Isn't It a Natural Change?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] "I want to protect my role as a role, and myself as myself."

On the morning of the 22nd, Park Shin-hye shared various stories about the film '#Alive' (director Jo Il-hyung) in an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'#Alive' is a survival thriller depicting the story of people isolated alone in an apartment with all data, Wi-Fi, text messages, and phone calls cut off, as people with unknown symptoms begin to attack and chaos ensues. Park Shin-hye plays Yubin, another survivor who fights against unidentified entities. Although their personalities and styles differ, Jun-woo (played by Yoo Ah-in) and Yubin share a desperate will to survive and struggle together to stay alive.

Having revealed a new side through genre films, Park Shin-hye said, “While filming 'Call' (director Lee Chung-hyun), which was recently postponed from release, I started to think about how to enjoy filming more. I began '#Alive' simply thinking it would be fun.” She added, “The parts that differ from existing zombie films felt fresh, and the effort to survive alone was also interesting. I was curious about what kind of sides Yubin and Jun-woo would show when they met. There are relatively few clich?s, and the way the two people meet as humans and face survival felt clean and straightforward,” explaining her reason for appearing.

At the same time, Park Shin-hye revealed her desire to show a new image to the public. She said, “I always feel that as an actor, I need to show new sides. But I have never thought about forcing changes. I thought I could naturally show a new side through Yubin.” She continued, “People only know me as bright, healthy, and energetic because I can only show my image through works. So I try to show a new side through other works. Yubin is also a character that gives a sense of rest.”

“As I get older, the range of roles I can choose from has widened. My thirst for transformation has grown, and curiosity has arisen. I also have questions about what I can accomplish. Maybe this is a natural stage of change. Interest in different appearances is difficult but I am grateful.”

Park Shin-hye continues her impressive chemistry with co-stars, seen in works like ‘The Heirs’, ‘Doctors’, ‘My Annoying Brother’, and ‘Memories of the Alhambra’, in '#Alive'. Meeting Yoo Ah-in for the first time on screen, she said, “I saw him once socially when I was a teenager, and this is the first time in over ten years. It was amazing that we never ran into each other by chance,” she laughed.

Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye filmed much of their scenes separately on sets or blue screens. Park Shin-hye said, “I first met Yoo Ah-in during the reading, and he started filming first. In previous works, it was rare to act without seeing each other's faces. I think it’s comfortable to exchange emotions by looking into each other’s eyes, but at first, it was awkward to act only by hearing his voice or imagining from distant expressions. I worried about how it would feel to exchange emotions differently.” She added, “The feelings we exchanged during the reading were not different, so it seemed a bit easier.”

She continued, “In my previous work 'Call', many situations were also conducted over the phone. At that time, actors visited each other's sets and read lines in front of each other. But the best thing is probably to look into the other’s eyes.”

“Before filming with Yoo Ah-in, we had a meal together and talked a lot. As actors who debuted around the same time, I felt a sense of camaraderie. We shared stories about our lives, what we have experienced through works so far, and how we lived to earn titles like romantic comedy and Hallyu. It was very impressive. It felt like being acknowledged. Without similar experiences, it would be hard to understand, so it was amazing and thankful.”

Park Shin-hye debuted in 2003 through Lee Seung-hwan’s music video ‘Flower’ and has been active as an actress for 17 years. She has appeared in popular dramas such as ‘You're Beautiful’, ‘The Heirs’, ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Doctors’, and ‘Memories of the Alhambra’, as well as many films including ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’, ‘The Royal Tailor’, ‘My Annoying Brother’, and ‘Silence’. Reflecting on her journey, she said, “Worries always follow. I worry about what might happen tomorrow or if I might get involved in some incident, or if I might disappoint the public. I can’t say I have done perfectly so far, but maybe I am moving forward through that time. Rather than worrying about tomorrow, I will live today and now diligently.”

“The characters in works appear bright and healthy, which in some ways resembles me and in others differs. I don’t try hard to narrow that down. I want to protect the role as a role, and myself as myself. Sometimes people might be disappointed in me, but I will try to satisfy them with another side.”

'#Alive' will be released on June 24.

Photo = Salt Entertainment

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.