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| yna@yna.co.kr 2025-04-16 08:51:03
SEOUL, Apr. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actress Park Eun-bin said Monday she finds joy in defying expectations and breaking away from the public’s preconceived notions of her, as she takes on a darker and more complex role in the new Disney+ original series "Hyperknife."
“I try not to define myself or set limitations,” Park said during an interview held at a cafe in central Seoul. “There’s something fun about breaking the impression people have of me. Hyperknife felt unfamiliar—it was a genre and tone I hadn’t explored before.”
Known for her versatility, Park has taken on diverse roles over the years—from a cross-dressing monarch in "The King's Affection (2020)," a violinist in "Do You Like Brahms? (2021)," to a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder in "Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)" and an aspiring singer stranded on an island in "Castaway Diva (2023)."
In Hyperknife, she plays Jung Se-ok, a cold-blooded genius surgeon who both saves and kills with surgical precision. Park said she was drawn to the stark contrast of this character following her portrayal of a cheerful, sunlit personality in Castaway Diva.
“When I read the logline, ‘A doctor who both saves and kills,’ I knew this story wasn’t ordinary,” she said.
Given her previous roles portraying upright and sympathetic characters, there has been considerable interest in how Park would portray a morally ambiguous killer.
Her character, Jung Se-ok, is not only a calculated murderer but also unpredictable—at times childishly stubborn and impulsively emotional. Park said she used her background in psychology, which she studied at university, to approach the character with depth.
“I referred to the DSM-5 criteria for antisocial personality disorder,” she said. “People often think of psychopaths as emotionless, but lacking empathy for others and being emotionless are different. I wanted to portray a different kind of psychopathy.”
She recalled intense moments during filming, especially the climactic scene in which her character kills a police officer and confronts another key figure, Deok-hee (played by Sol Kyung-gu). “I think I was completely immersed—almost mad—during those days. Filming that scene over two days felt like a struggle not only for Se-ok but also for me,” she said.
On the complex relationship between Se-ok and Deok-hee, Park declined to frame it as a conventional romance. “I don’t want to limit it with the word ‘love.’ It’s a much more complicated emotion.”
She also revealed a key artistic direction embedded in the script: “The script began with a note saying, ‘As the screen fades to black, Handel’s aria Lascia ch’io pianga begins.’ When I asked the writer about it, they said, ‘This is the story of Deok-hee making Se-ok cry.’ I felt that defined the essence of the story.”
Having debuted as a child model at the age of four in 1996, Park now marks her 30th year in the entertainment industry. She gained early recognition through roles in dramas such as "White Nights 3.98 (1998)," "Empress Myeongseong (2001)," and "The Legend (2007)," gradually building a successful career that transcended her early image as a child actress.
Reflecting on the milestone, Park said acting now feels like the right path for her. “I think I chose the right job. When I was younger, I used to ask myself if being an actor was really my end goal. It’s still hard and unfamiliar to meet a new character every time, but it still makes my heart race. Now, I can confidently say that acting suits me.”
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