Difficult to stop crying: Park Shin-hye on challenges playing devil in K-drama The Judge from Hell

Not everyone finds it easy to cry on demand, but for South Korean actress Park Shin-hye, it's easier to let her tears flow than stop them.

In the upcoming K-drama The Judge from Hell, the 34-year-old plays Kang Bit-na, a problematic judge known for handing out light sentences to defendants.

Often criticised for her leniency, the public is unaware that she's been possessed by a devil, who was sent to earth to drag 10 criminals back to hell.

Things take a drastic turn when Bit-na develops feelings for Da-on (played by Kim Jae-young), a human detective.

AsiaOne attended the press conference for the series on Sept 19 where Shin-hye talked about the challenges she faced filming the show.

"Bit-na is a demon so she doesn't really feel what others do… When someone is having a hard time, she doesn't know how to feel pity. The other cast members were so great with their performances. When I saw them act, I shouldn't be feeling anything, but as a human being, I was immersed in the situation," she said, adding that she would tear up even though she wasn't supposed to.

"When people tell me to cry, I can cry, but if you stop me from crying… that's quite difficult."

What is it about the character that spoke to Shin-hye?

"She's not your typical villain… Usually when we think of a villain or the anti-hero in a series, we think of characters who cause harm to others, or people that commit crimes or sins. However, Bit-na is not so much a villain. Her being a demon is just the plot device," she shared.

"I wanted to play a very blazing, bold character, and I tried to think about how to create someone who's both a devil but also lovable in the eyes of the viewers and at times, even seeming a little bit immature."

She added that fans always tell her she tends to play a "poor girl with an undying spirit" and The Judge from Hell is a chance for her to break that image.

"In the past, I think I played a lot of roles where I had to shed a tear or two, but this time around, I make others cry. I'm not the one who's crying," she said.

When asked how she'd like people to describe her after watching her new show, Shin-hye reiterated: "Someone very colourful. A colourful or multi-faceted actress."

She then brought up The Heirs (2013), where she played Cha Eun-sang - a housekeeper's daughter who falls in love with a rich heir. In the series, Eun-sang is often brought to tears over a myriad of difficulties.

"I think that image has really stuck with the public because it was so strong, and I feel like that has kind of become a given when people think of me as an actress. But I hope that through The Judge from Hell, people would think, "Oh, that's a new side of her that we've never seen. She's a very multi-faceted actress.'"

'A long time since I've poured my heart and soul into something'

Towards the end of the press conference, Shin-hye expressed her love for the show.

"I think I can truly say that it has been a long, long time since I have poured my heart and soul into something. Not to say that I haven't done my best in my previous works, but I think this was just an extremely passionate experience," she said.

Jae-young, 35, praised Shin-hye extensively: "I felt that she's always so calm. Emotionally, she's always ready, always prepared. That's why I could really rely on her. When there was an emotional scene and I couldn't really focus, she would come to me and give me some advice, and that really helped me out a lot.

"I really learned so much from her. You know, she's younger than me, so I should have been the one helping her, but she was doing so."

Shin-hye, who is married to actor Choi Tae-joon and gave birth to a boy in May 2022, said Jae-young is "always nice to the cast and the staff".

"There're a lot of staff and cast members in this show, and because I had so many scenes, I was on the set every day. Instead of being nice to every single person, I just looked at the entire atmosphere of the set.

"But Jae-young would come to each and every person on the set, and he would provide that bright energy to those people. That energy was something that I got as well, and thanks to that, we could work together well."

The Judge from Hell, which also stars Kim A-young and Kim In-kwon, premieres Sept 21 on Disney+. New episodes will be released on Fridays and Saturdays.

syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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