Shin Min-a: "'The Remarried Empress'—At first, I thought, 'What is this?'... In the end, it was about her husband's affair" [31st BIFF]

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Actress Shin Min-a revealed the emotions she focused on while portraying Navie in "The Remarried Empress."

On the 10th, the Actors House event for the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) was held at the Shinsegae Department Store Culture Hall in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Actress Shin Min-a attended the event and reflected on her journey as an actress to mark her 25th anniversary since debut.

On this day, Shin Min-a spoke about "The Remarried Empress," a Disney+ original series set for release soon. "'The Remarried Empress' is a period drama unfolding within the worldview we created, so it was not easy. Still, as it was a genre I had never attempted before, there were also enjoyable aspects," she said.

She continued, "I encountered the script before the original work, and at first, I thought, 'What is this?' After all, the names are Navie and Soubeche, right?" She added, "Later, I heard that the original work was very popular and looked into it. However, the director and screenwriter said they would prefer us to focus on the script rather than the original."

Shin Min-a explained that in the process of fitting the vast worldview of the original work into a 10-episode series, she focused on Navie's emotions and choices. "The original has many characters and episodes, but we had to clearly show the beginning, development, turn, and conclusion of the character Navie within the 10th episodes. There is a process of betrayal, divorce, and remarriage, and she is a figure who, despite being an empress, makes new choices as a woman," she explained.

She continued, "I wanted many people to understand and empathize with Navie, feeling a sense of closeness to her." She emphasized, "In the worldview of the drama, it is not unusual for the emperor to accept a concubine, so ultimately what mattered was what choice Navie, as the empress, would make in that situation."

In particular, Shin Min-a said she focused on Navie's agency just as much as the dignity and weight of the empress. "It is not like her husband, whom she had been with since childhood, had an affair? I thought that feeling was exactly the same as ours, and that viewers could fully empathize," she said. "Within that, I wanted to show Navie making a subjective choice."

She added, "Navie is the one who sincerely thinks about the common people and citizens. While expressing the dignity and weight of an empress, I wanted to approach many people as an individual."

The new love with Heinrey (played by Lee Jong-suk) was also developed centered on Navie's emotions. Shin Min-a said, "When Navie fell in love with Heinrey, I wanted viewers to follow the story from Navie's perspective and share her feelings." She added, "I acted with the thought that I would like them to hate Soubeche as well."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original