[Sportschosun reporter Jo Ji-young] Actress Shin Min-a (42) said, "From 'Diva' to 'Beautiful Eyes,' I seem to be choosing projects that make me suffer."
In an interview with Sportschosun on the morning of the 16th, Shin Min-a shared behind-the-scenes stories about the suspense thriller film 'Beautiful Eyes' (directed by Yeom Ji-ho, produced by Dream Capture).
'Beautiful Eyes' tells the story of a protagonist who is gradually losing her sight due to a genetic disease and ends up confronting the truth while investigating the suspicious death of her twin sister. Shin Min-a played two roles, portraying Seo-jin, a photographer who is losing her sight while probing her twin sister's death, and Seoin, Seo-jin's twin sister who dies under mysterious circumstances.
Shin Min-a said, "When I chose this project, it was because I felt a stronger connection to Seo-jin. I could relate a lot to the situation Seo-jin was in, and I was curious about how it would be portrayed. Of course, I also wanted to express Seoin's feelings and moments. On top of that, I found the situation of a character losing her sight while being chased very interesting. If it was done well, I thought it could create the tension of a thriller and offer a different kind of suspense." She added with a laugh, "I think I genuinely like the thriller genre quite a bit. I haven't actually done that many rom-coms, but I guess many people liked them, so I have a strong rom-com image. Still, I think I prefer thrillers a little more."
She continued, "To be honest, 'Beautiful Eyes' was really hard to film. My body was exhausted. In terms of screen time, there was almost no scene where I could relax, so I had to stay tense the whole time, and I also had to use my body a lot, which made it very difficult. Still, I tried to stay focused until the end. There were so many extreme scenes that at first I even wondered, 'How are they going to film this?' It happened to come at a time when I wanted to take on more diverse projects, and 'Beautiful Eyes' was offered to me right then. I was at a point where I wanted to push myself more as an actress, and it was a project I started filming right after 'Karma.' At this point, I guess I really am a 'suffering addict.'" She added, "It was a different kind of hardship from 'Diva.' In 'Diva,' the burden was about conveying psychological emotions and performing specialized movements, while 'Beautiful Eyes' required me to keep feeling fear throughout. The tone was different, but both were difficult. Still, seeing those moments captured well in both 'Diva' and 'Beautiful Eyes' makes me feel that the effort was not wasted."
'Beautiful Eyes' stars Shin Min-a, Kim Nam-hee, Lee Seung-ryong, and Kim Young-ah, and was directed by Yeom Ji-ho of 'The Neighbor.' It opens on the 24th.
Jo Ji-young reporter soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
