[Interview] Shin Min-a "Female Narratives and Diving Films, Worried About Investment but the World Has Changed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] "It wasn't intentional to gather only women. We came together because we were interested in the story and felt we could do it well. I realized that there are many meaningful and attractive women working in the Korean film industry."

This is a meaningful event. It's not just about showcasing a transformation in thriller acting. Shin Min-a has matured as an actress, a filmmaker, and as a person. That's why her return to the screen after six years is even more welcome.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Shin Min-a shared various stories about the film Diva (directed by Cho Seul-ye) through an online video interview.

Diva is a mystery thriller about Lee Young, the queen of diving, who suffers a mysterious traffic accident, awakening latent desires and madness. Shin Min-a plays Lee Young, a diving diva and a globally recognized sports star whose skills no one doubts.

Shin Min-a said, "I was glad when I read the script. There have been limits to the characters women could play. Of course, there are many Korean films dealing with women as the subject, but there weren't many films solely about women's stories, so I was glad," explaining her reason for choosing the project.

She cited universal emotions as the background for her participation, saying, "Lee Young's relationships in the mystery genre might seem complicated, but I saw them as universal human emotions. Actions taken unintentionally or considerations in relationships are felt differently depending on the recipient. Sometimes I am Sujin, sometimes Lee Young. I felt that the pressure from human relationships and positions could be universal."

Lee Young decides to compete in synchronized diving together with her close friend Sujin, who has been training with her since childhood and is urged to retire due to poor performance.

Shin Min-a nodded and said, "I tried to empathize with Lee Young's emotions. Although I am not an athlete, as an actress, I speak, perform, and get evaluated in front of many people. In films, I have to perform diving repeatedly and receive results. In that sense, I could empathize with Lee Young's situation."

Shin Min-a appears somewhat new in the thriller genre. Was there any pressure? She said, "There were many things I had to prepare. I felt pressure that if I deviated even slightly from the diving athlete character, I wouldn't be able to focus. After reading the script, I empathized a lot with Lee Young's character. I felt I wanted to feel and express it well."

Why did she only now appear in a thriller? Shin Min-a said, "There was no opportunity," adding, "In my teens and twenties, the characters given to me had bright and healthy images. When I received the offer for Diva, I wondered, 'Would it suit me?' but I liked it. I think projects have their own timing and fate."

She continued, "I always wanted to do thriller or mystery genres, but the opportunity came only now. I want to work hard on other genres in future opportunities," expressing her unique determination.

She also revealed her thirst for new roles and projects. Shin Min-a said, "I was proud to hear reactions that people saw a new side of me through the drama Chief of Staff and that I expressed a different image," showing satisfaction by saying, "Maybe you saw a different side of me in Diva as well."

She added, "I am at a stage where I wonder what sides I haven't shown yet and what I can express interestingly," reaffirming her resolve.

In the film, Lee Yoo-young plays Sujin, a diving athlete who suffers from the painful consolation of Lee Young over her declining performance and is forced to hold the hand extended by Lee Young despite her misfortune. The two act as rivals, sharing all daily life but clashing due to the gap in performance and their desire to be number one, creating an irreparable emotional divide.

"When going to practice, I decided, 'I have to do my best at everything.' If the other person didn't support that well, I would have lost energy, but Lee Yoo-young also worked hard. She approached it with passion similar to mine, so we relied on each other and worked together. Our skills improved similarly. The coach made a plan, and we upgraded together according to it, increasing training intensity. Our mindsets were similar. She expressed Sujin attractively."

When asked if she has a competitive spirit, Shin Min-a laughed and said, "I felt it during diving training." She added, "I actually trained with several actors. Similar to the film, during training, if someone did well, I felt I had to do better."

Shin Min-a also said, "I wanted Lee Young's emotions to be seen clearly, so I talked a lot with the director. I thought about where and what emotions to show. I tried to empathize with the emotions to express them sincerely."

To portray the diving athlete character, the costumes were prepared at a professional athlete level. Shin Min-a said, "Divers develop muscles according to their swimsuits. We also exercised a lot and practiced wearing swimsuits to focus more. We discussed how to look like athletes during filming."

She confessed, "There was concern about female actors wearing swimsuits and revealing femininity," and added, "The director told us not to worry beforehand. We approached it comfortably, thinking of the swimsuit as part of the body during filming."

Diva was created by a top-notch Chungmuro production team. Most of the directors, staff, and cast are women. Shin Min-a emphasized, "It's not that we gathered because we are women. We gathered because we were interested in the story and could do it well." She stressed, "I realized there are many meaningful and attractive women working in the Korean film industry."

"It's a meaningful work. When I received the script, I liked it and wanted to do it, but I worried whether it would be invested in. Now, with the release approaching, I feel proud. I am grateful to have accomplished the difficult and unfamiliar diving sport, and I am happy that people have been waiting for a film led by two women. There are more women-centered films than before. Hollywood is the same, and it's nice that more films are led by women. I am glad to be part of that. I hope that as many people become familiar with it, they will become more curious and interested."

Diva will be released on September 23.

Photo = AM Entertainment, Film Company All

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