[Dispatch=Reporter Kim Ji-ho] Playing twin sisters alone is not an easy task. That's because you have to express different people with the same face. On top of that, both characters are visually impaired.

The genre is also a thriller, which is not light-hearted. She must be frightened by stalking, trembling with anxiety, and fleeing (with unseen eyes). Her younger sister meets a mysterious death, and as she pursues the truth, she faces another crisis.

The actress who took on this difficult character is Shin Min-a. For the past 28 years, she has been called the epitome of loveliness and a rom-com queen. This time, with the film "Pupil" (directed by Yeom Ji-ho), she displays her charm as a thriller queen.

"I received the proposal for 'Pupil' when I had a lot of thoughts about wanting to do more diverse works. It was a time when I had great ambition for acting. I shot it right after filming 'Bitter Relationship,' and at this point, I think I'm a workaholic.(laughs)"

Shin Min-a recently held a round-table interview to commemorate the release of "Pupil." She expressed hope of being called "rom-com queen" when doing rom-coms and "thriller queen" when doing thrillers.

◆ "Am I a workaholic?"

"Pupil" is a remake of the Spanish film "Julia's Eyes" (2011). The protagonist is a woman (Seo Jin) who is gradually losing her sight due to a genetic disease. She becomes entangled in the truth surrounding her twin sister's death (Seo In) and faces crisis.

Shin Min-a said, "As I was losing my sight while searching for someone, the setting that I couldn't see was interesting," and added, "I thought if shot well, there would be tension and thriller elements," explaining her reasons for taking the role.

Double role, visual impairment, pursuit, thriller—just looking at the keywords suggested hardship. "When I read the screenplay, there were scenes where I had to act with bandages around my eyes. It looked difficult, but I had more desire to do it than that," she said.

In fact, Shin Min-a already tasted thriller in the film "Diva" (2020). Back then, she took on a diving challenge. She smiled and said, "The two works have different textures, and both were difficult in different ways."

"In 'Diva,' there was the burden of having to incorporate professional movements, psychological aspects, and emotions. In 'Pupil,' I needed acting that required constant fear. Still, I think those hardship aspects were well captured."

◆ "Seo In and Seo Jin, Seo Jin and Seo In"

How did she tackle the double role of older sister Seo Jin and younger sister Seo In? "I thought of them as different characters. I approached it thinking, 'I can act twice in the same movie,'" she said, adding, "When I thought of them as separate characters, it became simpler."

She said, "Since the protagonist is Seo Jin, I first empathized with Seo Jin," and explained, "Seo Jin loses her sight later than her mom and her sister Seo In, so she's in a position to protect her sister."

"They're twins and have the same artistic profession. Seo In is a promising new artist, and she says that not being able to see actually helps her work. Unlike her older sister Seo Jin, I thought of her as a pure and bright character."

Shin Min-a said, "Seo Jin definitely had complex feelings toward Seo In, inferiority. Wouldn't she have been jealous too?" and added, "Seo In is a character who thinks she's causing trouble because she receives one-dimensional help from her older sister."

True to that interpretation, the double role flows smoothly. Older sister Seo Jin appears realistic, mature, and sensitive to stalking harassment. Seo In has a subtle childishness in her speech. Shin Min-a's delicate acting stands out.

◆ "The pupil is a muscle too?"

Shin Min-a's excellent performance also shone in her eye acting. Her control of pupil movement was free-flowing. Not only did she act with unfocused eyes, but she also directed both eyes to gaze at different objects simultaneously.

"Seo Jin's sight suddenly drops and rises repeatedly. In those moments, I acted as if the focus wasn't aligned. In Seo In's case, I expressed it as if she could only perceive light."

When asked about the secret to her acting, she casually said, "The pupil is a muscle too, so you can do it with practice," surprising reporters. "I fixed my gaze on one point and tried to move only one eye. There were also moments where I made the focus completely different, but that looked too exaggerated so it was edited out," she explained.

In the latter half of the film, Shin Min-a flees barefoot with her eyes covered in bandages. She displays extreme fear, flailing her hands. "Even when staff just moved the lighting, I became sensitive, and all my senses became heightened. I realized that the fear of not being able to see was tremendous," she recalled.

"While acting with constant terror, I was genuinely tense, and my neck became stiff and couldn't move. I was under so much tension that it was really difficult. I used all my muscles. Even with little dialogue, I thought, 'Why is this so hard.'"

◆ "28-year veteran, Shin Min-a's tomorrow"

It has been 28 years since Shin Min-a's debut. After her 20s and 30s, she is now living her early 40s as an actress. The driving force, no doubt, is her passion for acting. She continues to think about genre variations and changes in her acting.

"What I've been thinking lately is that as I get older, even if I do romance, I can do it with a somewhat different texture than before. The romance I could do in my past, the romance I can do now, and the romance I will do in the future are all different."

Shin Min-a said, "I think what I can express can change depending on my age and the position people think I'm in," and added, "As an actress, I also have a desire to change."

"Currently, I'm filming a drama called 'Mon-Wed-Fri,' and it's not a story about people in their 20s but much more mature people. 'The Remarried Empress' is also romantic fantasy, but it's about the husband having a mistress."

Lastly, she said, "As I get older, I'm actually receiving proposals for more diverse works. I'm grateful," and added with passion, "I want to make good use of the given opportunities and take on more diverse characters and works in the future. If the opportunity comes, I'd like to do historical dramas again."

Meanwhile, "Pupil" will be released on the 24th.

<Photo provided by AM Entertainment>