Actress Shin Min Ah has opened up about the unexpected difficulties of becoming a high-seniority figure on set.
On the morning of the 16th, an interview with actress Shin Min Ah, the lead star of the film The Eyes (directed by Yeom Ji-ho), was held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The Eyes is a suspense thriller about Seo-jin, who is gradually losing her sight due to a hereditary disease, as she uncovers the truth behind the suspicious death of her twin sister and faces a shocking reality.
On this day, Shin Min Ah mentioned that her co-star Kim Nam-hee addresses her with extreme politeness as “Seonbaenim” (senior). She noted, “He was like that on set too. Since I am older and have a longer career, he treated me with the utmost respect.”
When asked about the most difficult moment during filming, she shared her realistic struggles: “In a very literal sense, I was trembling so much from fear that I got a severe spasm in my neck during the very first shoot. In the scene where Hyun-min (played by Lee Seung-ryong) chases me like in the movie The Shining in front of a darkroom, I got a cramp while running away. Right then, I thought, ‘If I want to finish this project, I need to protect my body.’ Moreover, even when humans get stressed, their necks tighten up. In that situation, filled with fear and stress, I realized my body was reacting instantly.”
Having debuted 26 years ago, Shin Min Ah has now reached a high level of seniority, often being older than many members of the production staff on set. When asked if her sense of responsibility as a veteran actress has grown, she confessed, “I realized that even if I say the exact same thing, the weight of my words can be perceived differently now, so I need to be careful.”
She expanded on this, saying, “When I was younger, my opinion was just treated as an opinion. But nowadays, I find myself thinking, ‘Could people feel pressured to accept my opinion as the absolute correct choice?’ Even when I tell a joke just to be funny, the atmosphere becomes awkward. I’ve felt those moments a lot recently, which made me realize I need to tread carefully.”
When asked to share a specific instance, Shin Min Ah brought laughter to the room by recalling, “Once, I asked, ‘I’m so hungry, why isn’t the food being served yet? completely as a joke. But they replied very seriously, ‘We are so sorry, the previous team’s schedule got delayed…’ I was just trying to be funny, but those moments happen. Later, after we became closer, they told me they were actually terrified at that moment. That’s when I realized my sense of humor doesn’t work the same way anymore.”
Regarding the kind of senior colleague she aspires to be, she shared her honest wish: “I want to be someone who talks a lot and feels comfortable to be around. When I was a junior, I think people had a prejudice that I would be cold. Now that I am a senior and have that existing image, people seem to find me even harder to approach. However, I find that the more the director and actors communicate during filming, the better the results and the focus. There are many directors who agree, though some don’t. I just hope people don’t find me difficult to approach.”
