Actress Park Shin-hye said Wednesday that she could understand the defiant, solitary yet hard-hearted younger Hye-jung character, as it reminded her of her old days as an actress from a very young age, in a press promotion that took place at SBS headquarters in western Seoul.
Park’s comments about the Hye-jung role, a clueless young lady who turns into a professional neurosurgeon by learning the power of love, gives a glimpse of her professionalism, indicating practice makes perfect.
Below is the transcript of the interview session at the press event.
On her Hye-jung role (introductory remark):
“Hye-jung is a belligerent and defiant character. The hopeless girl grew up in a harsh setting, but soon she sees changes in personality after she realized she could fall back on Ji-hong (Kim Rae-won) and her grandmother (after she was deserted by her father.) knowing what true love means. ”
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(Herald Pop)
On her motivation to pick “Doctors” as her next drama series: [asked by Seray Ozcelik (Turkey) Teminitikristi Oyindamola (Nigeria) Kaylee Tran (The United States)]
“I found myself in love with the draft when I first read it. The Hye-jung role came in contrast to the previous roles I have played. It was different from such roles full of delight. You see, Hye-jung is ill-natured. She is rude to anyone. She knocks out people with head-height kicks, but I found the character very attractive. I loved the way the drama portrays a change in personality of the unfeeling little girl.”
On her partner Kim Rae-won: [asked by Loraine Ann Bustillo (The Philippines)]
“I was a big fan of Kim since I was young. He was very kind and caring on set. Before this drama, I worked with actors my age. It was my first time to play a role with a partner role who is older than I am, whom I can rely on. He maintained the cheerful atmosphere all the way through.”
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(SBS)
On the difference between Hye-jung and previous characters she has played: [asked by Hilal Bat (Turkey)]
“Younger Hye-jung is solitary and never trusts others. She never learned to trust others, get help from others or help someone out. This is the point that Hye-jung role is digressing from, as I played rather tolerant roles in previous work. Hye-jung remains stony-hearted, in order to not be hurt by others. She refuses to build relationships. Then she met Ji-hong, and learns from him about how to trust others, what the feeling of ‘love’ is, melting her heart. Some scenes are romantic, while some others will make you laugh.”
On her preparation for the medical drama role: [asked by Loraine Ann Bustillo (The Philippines) Ina V (The United States)]
“As I took a role in a medical drama for the first time, I learned the process of surgery by visiting local hospitals. I went through hands-on training to learn to tie a knot (after suturing wounds). The medical terms are mostly foreign to me, forcing me to keep on practicing scripts over and over again. Watching clips of surgery by doctors was also helpful.
“In fact, professional doctors were always accompanied on location to give advice. We got a lot of help from them."
“As ‘Doctors’ is a drama about neurosurgeons, whose surgery scenes are on a smaller scale with fewer dramatic moves, I think this would rather make some differences from existing medical dramas.”
On the effort she put into the role: [asked by local press]
“I cannot remove myself as Park Shin-hye when acting. No matter what, Hye-jung and I are ultimately inseparable. This is not something I can change. It is impossible to completely transform myself into Hye-jung."
“So people I know told me that playing Hye-jung would rather be an easier job, as they see that Hye-jung somewhat resembles Park Shin-hye. Don’t get me wrong, I don‘t mean I am as aggressive as she is."
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(Herald Pop)
“But I could understand Hye-jung, as I think I know what it feels like to be hurt by other people -- like my acquaintances or online trolls -- and frustrated by them. I think I realized what it feels like because of my profession as an actress, from a very young age. In those days, I needed someone to lean on back then."
“Another thing in common between the Hye-jung role and I was the grandmother. I miss my grandmother a lot. I had mixed feelings as Hye-jung, who stays with her grandmother -- I was reminiscent of my old days.”
On her preparation for fight scenes: [asked by Loraine Ann Bustillo (The Philippines) Ina V (The United States) Rumeysa Solmaz (Turkey)]
“I have never done fight scenes before. But being a newbie, I suppose, made me more motivated."
“The promotion clip, as you watched, features a brawl in a night club. All actors and actresses at the scene, including myself, practiced the scene about three times in an action school before the date of filming. I was sick a day after I did the action scene. At first, I was like, ‘I shouldn’t have overestimated myself.’ But it was amazing to find that, from the second fight scene, it was not as hard as the first. After I watch the scenes on TV, I think I will feel confident in myself.”
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