The Genre of Shin Hae Sun, 'The Art of Sarah' Shin Hae Sun② "The Answer to the Ending? The Name Doesn't Matter"

▶ 〈The Art of Sarah〉 actress Shin Hae Sun interview continues in Part 1.

The design of the Bdua bag is also impressive. Unlike other luxury brands, the Bdua bag is very shiny and extravagant. I'm curious about what you thought when you first saw the Bdua bag.

Bdua is a brand created by projecting the character Sarah Kim. The person Sarah Kim has become accustomed to just sticking on flashy things without substance or essence. So when you look at the Bdua bag, the extravagance is heavily emphasized. There’s a scene where Sarah Kim cuts out pictures from magazines to design the bag she wants. She makes it by just sticking on flashy, shiny things and big jewels. So I think the Bdua bag reflects this character's image. I think the art team intended to create a bag that would look like something Sarah Kim would make.

I also want to ask about styling. Mok Ga Hee wears a green coat and commits suicide. Mok Ga Hee is also wearing a green cardigan at home. At the end, when Sarah Kim is taken away, there’s a scene where she wears a green hat and says, "Is there no other hat?" It seems like you captured symbolic colors or concepts for each persona.

I want to ask the costume director. (laughs) Honestly, I don't think I can give a clear answer, but it was decided that Mok Ga Hee's coat and Sarah Kim's final hat would be the same color. There were definitely concepts for each persona. Sarah Kim is flashy and shiny. Eun Jae is the innocent rich girl. Dua is like a friend working in the entertainment industry. And Mok Ga Hee's keyword was 'tacky'.

So which persona's appearance did you like the most, actress Shin Hae Sun?

I really liked the Sarah Kim party scene. First of all, Sarah Kim's hippie perm was originally my ideal, so I thought I wanted to try that hairstyle. During the test shoot, we discussed the outfits and hair that suited me. But the costume and makeup team did a great job on their own. There’s a scene where I wear a green fur coat, and according to our makeup team, it looked a bit like a wandering minstrel, and they mentioned that. But despite that, I actually liked it a lot. I had never thought of trying that kind of look in my daily life, and I had never done it in any of my previous works either.

Then, in terms of personality, which persona do you feel the most affection for?

I think they are all a bit twisted. They are very extreme. Nevertheless, if I had to choose the one I feel the most attached to, it would probably be Mok Ga Hee. It would have been great if Mok Ga Hee had met a good person beforehand, and that person had guided her on the right path. Because she is twisted.

The relationships surrounding Sarah Kim's various personas are also impressive. Kim Eun Jae donates a kidney to Hong Seong Shin (Jung Jin Young). Did Eun Jae really show genuine goodwill to Hong Seong Shin?

I think that’s a really difficult point. Depending on the viewer, there are many parts where the character's emotions can be interpreted differently. However, I believe there is sincerity, goodwill, and revenge, and that all emotions are mixed together.

So did Sarah Kim truly love Kang Ji Hwon (Kim Jae Won)? Kang Ji Hwon genuinely loved Kim Eun Jae or Sarah Kim, right?

Hmm, wait a minute. I really don’t know about Ji Hwon. I thought Sarah Kim felt dual emotions towards everyone. Ji Hwon is really... it’s quite unfortunate. (laughs) While being together, there might have been sincerity, but among all the characters surrounding Sarah Kim, Ji Hwon had the highest proportion of 'use' and deceit. Because Ji Hwon is not someone who can give Sarah what she ultimately wants. So, ultimately, he was just a bridge to get to what she wanted, which makes Ji Hwon a significant concept of 'use' for Sarah.

The interrogation room scene in the latter part of 〈The Art of Sarah〉 was the most difficult and is known to be the scene where you put in the most effort. How did you prepare for that scene with actor Lee Jun Hyuk, who played Mu Kyung?

This scene itself couldn’t be prepared alone because the chemistry between the two was so important, so even while waiting, we kept discussing how to interact in front of the monitor. The interrogation room scene was filmed towards the end of the shoot. I think we were trapped there for about a week. For both Lee Jun Hyuk and me, the interrogation room scene was really difficult, so we thought it would help us to film it all at once after all the events were over, so we concentrated on filming it in the latter part.

The relationship between Sarah Kim and Mu Kyung was also impressive. In fact, they seem to resemble each other, so they seem to empathize or respect each other, but in the end, it seems like Mu Kyung leads Sarah Kim to make a wrong choice.

In fact, if you think about it, there is no one who has met Sarah Kim who has not been ruined. The same goes for Mu Kyung. Even Mu Kyung got promoted after meeting Sarah Kim. Although Mu Kyung is described as very competent, he is not a righteous friend. The youngest detective next to Mu Kyung, Jae Hyun (Shin Hyun Seung), is a character that shows Mu Kyung's deficiencies. Mu Kyung must have faced many realities where he couldn't surpass a wall or reach a higher ideal in life. So Sarah Kim was able to see through that well and ultimately, ironically, it became the ending that everyone wanted.

I also want to ask about the ending. How did you interpret the ending where Mu Kyung asks for a name but does not receive an answer?

I want to invite the writer. (laughs) As I have said repeatedly, this drama is about identity. At the end, when a name is asked but not answered, it ends with Bdua unfolding in the background. I think what this character ultimately wanted was a true identity beyond Bdua. So whether it was a luxury brand or whatever, this character wanted to have an identity like a luxury brand.

Then from the acting perspective, if you were Sarah Kim, how do you think you would have answered the question about the name?

I don’t think I would have answered. I don’t think the name itself is important. Of course, I jokingly said, "What’s your name~♬" but I don’t think the name itself matters.

〈The Art of Sarah〉 has many precious lines. If there’s a line that resonated with you the most, what would it be?

There were quite a few. Among Mok Ga Hee's will, the line, 'Where there is light, there is darkness. Why am I that darkness?' made me think a lot. It’s a bit embarrassing because it’s a personal feeling from when I was very young, but when I was a teenager, I sometimes felt like 'I might not be able to do anything, I have nothing special, and my life is not fun at all.' So I wanted to be very special, but I am not a special being on this planet, and there are so many other shiny things in the world. So sometimes, a sense of victimization would arise. Because it was during my teenage years. Now, I’m not saying I have a sense of victimization. I love myself. (laughs) I had felt a lot of that self-doubt or a drop in self-esteem during my stormy adolescence. So I think I can understand that feeling.

After 〈Secret Forest〉, you reunited with actor Lee Jun Hyuk. How was the chemistry with Lee Jun Hyuk? Watching the behind-the-scenes or promotional activities, it seems like you were smiling a lot. You looked comfortable.

I was quite worried because of the interrogation room scene. I probably met Lee Jun Hyuk less than ten times. But in fact, there is a great internal intimacy. I felt comfortable with him since 〈Secret Forest〉. He might not feel the same way, though. However, when exchanging breaths in a two-person play like 〈The Art of Sarah〉, being comfortable is a significant advantage. So even though we don’t contact each other often, I think that internal intimacy has become a great asset. In fact, it might be the same for him, but I try not to show it, and I tend to be a bit shy. But it was so comfortable that I realized that it’s this easy not to be shy. At first, you usually need to go through a process of trying to get close by talking and joking around. But with him, I didn’t have to do that, so it was very comfortable. I tend to smile a lot around people I like. I can’t force myself to laugh. But it’s so much fun. This time, I got to know his personality well. There’s a strange fun that comes from the difference between the celebrity Lee Jun Hyuk and the person Lee Jun Hyuk. I found it very interesting to see him struggling in a peculiar way.

In which scene did you feel the synergy was particularly good? Also, how did you communicate and match your breaths to complete the acting on set?

In every cut, I felt that Lee Jun Hyuk was reliable. If he hadn’t acted in front of me like that, I wouldn’t have known how to act. I’m not sure if it’s okay to say this, but since we wanted to add a bit of fun between Sarah Kim and Mu Kyung, we discussed ideas on set and tried various things on the spot. And it turned out just like that.

Recently, you made an impression with your comments on a podcast. You mentioned that when you were younger, you had a desire for proactive, leading characters. So you often played strong, assertive characters, and it seems like you chose 〈The Art of Sarah〉 in that context. How do you feel about it now?

It was definitely like that in the past. I probably haven’t completely abandoned that desire even now. However, the ultimate reason I played many assertive characters was that I wanted to try various characters. As a result, the friends who lead the story gave me diverse experiences, which led to this choice. In fact, even now, to gain many experiences, it would be right to play a character that leads the story. Nevertheless, now, even if I’m not in the main role, or if I’m in a role that comes and goes, I want to try characters that I haven’t experienced before. Whether it’s a villain or a character that isn’t mainstream, I want to try a variety of roles.

〈The Art of Sarah〉 leaves many questions. Personally, what answers have you come up with regarding questions like, 'How can it be fraud if there are no victims?' and 'If it can't be distinguished from the real thing, can it be called fake?'

I agree but I don’t. In a way, it’s a fallacy, but it’s true. This drama is overflowing with dualistic lines. Nevertheless, I don’t want to defend it. I acted in it, but illegal is illegal. After all, it is a crime. I don’t want to defend it, but what if that good mind was used elsewhere?