Park Eun-Bin Delves Into The Dangerous Mindset Of A Killer Doctor
Park Eun-bin won the Grand Prize at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards for her performance in the drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Her endearing portrayal of autistic attorney Woo Young-woo was celebrated for the insight it offered into the character's unique perspective. In the new Korean series Hyper Knife, Park portrays another complex and interesting character. Jeong Seok is a doctor, but she's also a killer. She's a brilliant brain surgeon, primarily because she's obsessed with perfecting her skills, but she has little regard for social norms or the rights of others.
It's a surprisingly dark character for Park, who previously played a princess in disguise in The King's Affection and a singer stranded on a desert island in Castaway Diva. Seok decides who will live or die based on the level of threat they pose to her existence. Playing Seok required learning more about antisocial behavior and yet the character is more than a textbook example of a disorder. Park's portrayal lends her depth. Viewers are not likely to approve of Seok's behavior, but they may come to understand how she justifies it.
'As an actor, it's always fascinating to meet a new character and dive deep into understanding its life,' said Park. "When I first read the synopsis and script of Hyper Knife, I made the decision not to limit the character of Jeong Seok to just the concept of psychopathy. Instead, I focused on exploring her core emotions and the mindset that drives her actions from various perspectives. I also referenced traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) to breathe life into the character.
While it can be hard to wrap your mind around the idea of a doctor who is also a killer, there are a few recorded cases of serial killers with a medical license. Park did not base her character on any real-life figures
'Except when portraying actual historical figures, I generally don't approach characters by modeling them after a real person,' said Park. 'I believe that characters should be allowed to live freely within the context of the story, and prefer to focus on the character itself without the influence of external opinions. As such, there wasn't a specific real person I referenced when creating the character. Instead, I referred to DSM-5 and ICD criteria which are used to diagnose ASPD to use as a foundation to build my own interpretation of the character's traits.'
Those character traits help explain why Seok feels it's right to take the lives of others
'Seok is a character with significant moral flaws,' said Park. 'She is immature and extremely selfish. She places her own desires above everything else. I saw her as someone who would be incapable of understanding the societal norm that murder cannot be justified. She is impulsive, reckless, and tends to disregard the consequences of her actions. She also only thinks about her needs, often blaming others or justifying actions that go against societal norms with seemingly logical rationalizations.'
Although it is a darker role than anything Park has taken on before, she saw it as a challenge.
'Taking on a new role is always something that makes my heart race,' said Park. 'As an actor, I feel truly blessed to be able to explore such a wide range of characters. Every time I'm offered a role that even I could have never imagined before, it's very exciting and feels like people believe in my ability to take on anything. Moving forward, I plan to continue choosing roles that speak to me and what I feel drawn to.'
Park began working as a model when she was only four. Two years later she debuted as an actress. Since then she's appeared in dozens of dramas, including Hot Stove League and Do You Like Brahms. As a child she once imagined becoming a doctor, but only briefly.
'However, I feel that I've achieved my dream by experiencing various professions as an actor,' she said with a smile. 'Regardless of which career I would have chosen, I believe that I would have adapted well and enjoyed my life.'
When Park first saw the script for Hyper Knife, she was intrigued by her character but also the character's relationship with her mentor, neurosurgeon Choi Deok-hee, played by Sul Kyung-gu (A Normal Family, Kill Boksoon). Deok-hee recognizes her remarkable skill. Sill, he's wary of her impulsive selfish nature and ultimately bans her from working in his hospital. She can now only perform illegal surgeries. When he develops a medical problem that she may be the only surgeon talented enough to correct, he has no choice but to ask her for help. It's a hard sell.
'I was drawn to the hard-to-explain mentor-mentee relationship and the constant psychological tension between them,' said Park. "I was especially excited to present viewers with this never-before-seen dynamic relationship filled with fiery passion and no room for courtesy, particularly in Korean society. It was also interesting that the main character is a doctor, but not a character who embodies justice. It was refreshing to see the villain as the main character in a picaresque story, where you don't have to follow the usual poetic justice."
Finding similarities with her character is a stretch.
'Although I don't share many similarities with Seok, my goal was to help viewers connect with the character, even the parts that might be hard to fully understand, and to make them curious to know more. I am truly grateful that viewers were able to understand Seok even more deeply than I expected. As the protagonist, I had to serve as the emotional core of the story, so I am relieved that I was able to make the character feel convincing."
Park is pleased that international viewers can enjoy and talk about her dramas.
'It's amazing to live in a world where viewers from all around the world can watch the same content and have conversations about it,' she said. "I'm grateful for these experiences and I'll use it as a foundation to move forward to the next chapter in my life.'
Hyper Knife, which also stars Yoon Chang-young (All Of Us Are Dead) and Park Byung-eun (Moving), airs on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the U.S.
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