(Following Interview 1) Actress Park EunBin talked about her acting chemistry with Sul KyungGu in 'Hyperknife.'
On the morning of the 15th, a wrap-up interview with Park EunBin, the lead actress of the Disney+ drama 'Hyperknife,' took place at a café in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
'Hyperknife' is a medical thriller that shows the fierce conflict that occurs when SeOk (played by Park EunBin), a once-promising genius doctor, reunites with her mentor DeokHee (played by Sul KyungGu), who brought her downfall.
In the story, SeOk and DeokHee present a unique relationship that differs from a typical teacher-student dynamic. Park EunBin explained, "I think the key phrase was that it was an unprecedented teacher-student relationship. I may not have seen everything, but at least I think there hasn't been a portrayal of such a relationship between male and female students in Korean society. So when I first read the script, I felt that the mysterious charm could be pushed through to the end with strength, and I tried to hold onto that part without missing it."
Earlier, Sul KyungGu noted that he had many conversations with Park EunBin on set. Park EunBin shared, "I was curious about my senior. I had only seen him in movies, and this was the first time I met him in person. Although it felt like we were together because the drama mainly depicted just the two of us, in reality, there weren't many scenes where we were physically together. Since there weren't many face-to-face scenes, when we met, there were long waiting periods during filming, and some actors spent that time alone in their cars, but my senior was behind the monitor. So unless it was that time, there wasn't much time for conversations, so I started small talk with a greeting on the bus, since I was genuinely curious about my senior as a person."
He revealed, "In fact, we never discussed acting. He is not the type of senior who gives evaluations on whether I acted well or poorly, and I was curious about that part but thought he wouldn't directly tell me, so I didn't ask. Instead, we talked a lot about the project and I introduced myself to my senior while asking him a lot of questions I wanted to know. For example, whether he prefers tomato pasta or cream pasta, and he would answer 'tomato pasta.' I became like a question mark murderer during our speed quiz game. I told my senior, 'If it's annoying, please let me know. I'm not usually like this,' and I kept asking questions like, 'Do you prefer bread or rice cakes.'"
In response to Sul KyungGu's comment that he has become "the closest friend," Park EunBin said, "I felt that conversations with my senior were indispensable. Not only were the emotions unusual, but there were also times when I felt anxious, thinking that it was only me in this car heading towards a shared destination. So I first asked my senior, wondering if he thought differently about the things I was thinking. I talked with him, and without a doubt, my senior became the actor I've had the most conversations with. I asked him, 'Since we're at this point, can I say you're the closest actor moving forward?' and received permission. I will tell everyone that my closest actor is my senior."
When asked if he learned anything from Sul KyungGu, as depicted in their teacher-student relationship in the story, he said, "As you may have mentioned in interviews, my senior is someone who does not give advice lightly. I always felt his thoughtfulness and character in that regard. I watched him with respect. One memorable piece of advice he gave was, 'Never trust anyone.' That doesn't mean something else; it's just that creating this work often requires a long time before it is completed. Until it reaches the viewers, all we hear are internal evaluations, so the actual evaluations only come after it reaches the audience. So I think it meant to 'filter out what's convenient for you.' It felt like we had opportunities to learn carefully and thoroughly test through everything before determining whether it was really interesting or not."
He also discussed their acting chemistry, saying, "It's difficult to say whether our acting styles are similar or different, but I think my senior and I matched well. The biggest reason is that we didn't use 100% during rehearsals; instead, we matched our breaths through actual interactions, and both my senior and I condensed our energy and used it intuitively, which was similar. So it was good that we matched well. I believe I can't dare speak about my senior's acting philosophy, much less understand it. Every actor has different approaches and attitudes, so there are things that aren't said. However, being able to act while conserving our energy for the viewer means we were truly a great match and great partners."
He said, "Every scene we had felt exhilarating. Of course, SeOk felt like a young person who resists the established generation, and that brought a newness to our relationship. But Writer Kim SunHee wrote with unpredictable points, like how we could deliver unexpected lines, which made the scenes exchanging breaths always interesting to shoot."
Regarding the violent scenes in which SeOk chokes DeokHee or assaults him with an umbrella, Park EunBin expressed, "Although we didn't rehearse the lines or focus on that power, the timing and the areas of impact were important, so we had to be careful. For those parts, I think we aligned really well. My senior seemed to enjoy when I hit him with the umbrella, saying, 'What kind of student hits their teacher, where is such a student?' While expressing indignation, he seemed to enjoy it, which allowed me to do it freely. When would I have the chance to grab Sul KyungGu's collar and hit him with an umbrella? Although I felt uncomfortable as Park EunBin, I think I was able to have a blast venting my feelings towards DeokHee as SeOk." (To be continued in Interview 3.)
[Photo] Walt Disney Company Korea
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