(Following Interview③) Actress Park EunBin expressed her thoughts on portraying another genius character in ‘Hyperknife’ following ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo.’

On the morning of the 15th, an end-of-series interview with Park EunBin, the leading actress of the Disney+ drama ‘Hyperknife,’ took place at a café in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

‘Hyperknife’ is a medical thriller depicting the intense confrontation between SeOk (played by Park EunBin), a once-promising genius doctor, and her mentor DeokHee (Sul KyungGu) who caused her downfall.

Previously, Park EunBin received significant acclaim for her role as Woo YoungWoo, a genius with autism spectrum disorder who graduated at the top of her class from law school in the ENA drama ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo,’ which aired in 2022. She confessed about taking on the genius character of Jeong SeOk in ‘Hyperknife’ after ‘Woo YoungWoo’: “After finishing ‘Woo YoungWoo,’ I thought I shouldn’t take on genius characters for a while.”

She noted, “There were so many burdens that I had to endure. I am not a genius, so I felt that the catharsis that the viewers derive from genius characters is definitely there. If the audience feels vicarious satisfaction through the media and characters, that could be a good thing. I plan to keep an open mind moving forward.”

When asked which was more difficult, the medical terminology in ‘Hyperknife’ or the legal jargon in ‘Woo YoungWoo,’ she said, “‘Hyperknife’ is a work where medical terminology is not as abundant as one might think. Even when I watched this drama through Disney+, I noticed there were no annotations for medical terms. I was surprised that explanations were not added for the viewers, even though the drama is introduced as a medical thriller. However, it’s not a medical drama that tells a good story about doctors.”

She continued, “It seems there were only one or two scenes discussing medical terminology. The scene where I lash out at my mentor when being chased away felt somewhat like a medical drama, but it quickly changed as I was about to strangle someone. Since there wasn’t much medical terminology, I acted as a doctor, but I think I didn’t show much as a doctor. I thought it would be nice to try a different role as a doctor later on.” She also added, “The amount of lines in ‘Woo YoungWoo’ was overwhelmingly high compared to all the works since my debut, so I found that aspect much harder.”

Particularly, when asked if there is a burden of being compared to ‘Woo YoungWoo’ in any works she does, Park EunBin said, “Unless it’s fans, they can’t possibly see all my works. Regarding that, ‘Woo YoungWoo’ has actually been 3 years already. I think those who see ‘Hyperknife’ as my work following ‘Woo YoungWoo’ will see me as an actor with a 3-year gap.”

She added, “I want people to know that I can’t follow every work like that and I am always seeking different appearances in the works I have done. There may be aspects where you feel more attached to one side, trying to find more of the same part, or feeling uncomfortable about other aspects. However, I am already hearing that I have been doing this for 30 years. I think, as I have tried various genres and roles that I haven’t done before, I will continue to try various approaches so that I do not remain in one place, and the person Park EunBin can also grow. If our tastes align, that’s great and I am grateful, but if not, I hope you remember and love the works that matched your tastes in the past.”

In the meantime, regarding the news of ‘Woo YoungWoo’ season 2 that many viewers are still waiting for, she said, “I think the same goes for ‘Hyperknife.’ The fact that there are people waiting for season 2 seems to indicate that it has received a lot of love, which is a happy thing for an actor. However, the future is uncertain, and we cannot know what situations will arise or what will happen. I believe that creating a season 2 requires more conviction than season 1. Therefore, I think it won’t be done easily unless a significant level of certainty arises.” She added, “I have not received any contact about season 2.”

Meanwhile, ‘Hyperknife’ aired its final episode on the 9th.

[Photo] Walt Disney Company Korea

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