Actress Shin Min-a shared the behind-the-scenes story of "Karma."

On the 9th, an interview with Shin Min-a, the actress from the Netflix series "Karma," took place at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul.

"Karma" is a crime thriller that depicts the twisted stories of six individuals entangled in a fate they cannot escape from. Based on the webtoon of the same name, "Karma" was reborn as a drama, written directly by director Lee Il-hyung.

On this day, Shin Min-a noted, "I felt good that many people seem to like it. Since the promotion started, there have been reactions not only globally but also from those around me saying they find it fun to watch, and I definitely received many responses saying it's interesting after watching it. I think expectations for the work were high, and there seemed to be many curious people. After watching it, there were reactions like 'I watched it all at once.' There seemed to be a lot of goodwill towards the work. It hasn't been long since the release, but I feel good that so many people have reached out to me."

In the drama, Shin Min-a takes on the role of a surgeon, "Juyeon," who lives with lifelong trauma. Juyeon is an ordinary doctor at a university hospital, living her life at a lukewarm temperature rather than passionately or intensely. One day, she encounters an unidentified burn victim and, upon hearing the patient's name, faces the trauma caused by a past event, amplifying her mixed feelings of anxiety and desire for revenge.

Regarding the reason for choosing the work, she said, "Juyeon doesn't appear until a bit later. However, it felt refreshing. I received the script before casting, and when asked who the main character is, there is no name, and other characters keep coming in. I was very curious about the latter half. Normally, I think I would want to take on a role like that because it was interesting. It felt like reading a mystery novel, and the concentration made me turn the pages without blinking. After Juyeon's story comes out, I thought it would be very difficult to act. I would have to think a lot about positions and so on. Still, in the end, I thought this is not just a drama with pure entertainment value, but it has a story it wants to tell, and I thought participating in it would be fun."

He also explained, "I actually love watching the thriller genre a lot. In 'Karma,' there's a strong pull from the characters and the story, like a package. This attraction was very clear. All the actors are experienced, and I thought it would be very fun to work with people I've never collaborated with before. In fact, there was no reason not to do this project."

Although the screen time was limited, Shin Min-a left a strong presence. When asked about the limited amount of time, he smiled and said, "There are good aspects to it. Each of us has roles defined in the script. There’s some burden related to that, but parts are relieved. I haven't done many projects with multiple protagonists. However, nowadays, projects seem to be heading in that direction. It seems to help when promoting. Waiting with excellent actors who share the same mindset feels great. During filming, I didn’t see the screen time of the actors. I appeared later and filmed in the later part, and when I asked the director, 'How is it?' he said, 'It's good.' So, I was looking forward to it, and it was indeed very fun. I think I was rather energized. Since the previous story is so great, I believe people must be very curious about the latter part. It was an interesting experience."

Handling high-difficulty acting, Shin Min-a said, "Given the nature of this script, other characters express a lot of emotions regarding actions or events, but Juyeon confronts her past trauma in the current situation, making her a character who contemplates emotions internally, differing a lot from others. I think I shared those concerns with the director. I also know the director thought a lot about the latter part and the ending of the drama, creating many versions. What the director conveyed was that since Juyeon is a victim, he hoped her energy wouldn’t match the perpetrator's in the same way. As a character, I represent a different aspect than those before, so I also wondered if I had to act energetically. However, I think it's important to trust and respect the director's opinion since there must be a story to convey, and I agree with that story."

There were also difficulties in acting. He said, "Every scene required a lot of thought. I had to start with this emotion knowing how the story flows and where the twists are after reading the script. Also, rather than facing Juyeon's current trauma, I pondered a lot about the emotions when expressing a significant trauma from the past. That aspect was difficult. Since I know the script's advantages and the energy when expressed, I felt it might interfere even more to think about those things. The depth Juyeon carries makes me ask myself, 'If I were Juyeon, how much would this pain feel?' I worried that if it looked too light, it might come off merely as a setup."

He also talked about another ending in the work. Concerning the reactions of some viewers who wanted a bigger "satisfying conclusion," Shin Min-a said, "Due to the genre characteristics, I believe viewers feel relieved when the catharsis is stronger at the end. I understand the director discussed this a lot in meetings. I also thought it would have been more refreshing if we viewed it from that angle. However, I think the reason for ending it this way is that, as a victim, she avoids taking revenge in the same manner as the perpetrator. In that aspect, I wanted to protect the victim. A character other than Juyeon solving her revenge may seem frustrating or lacking in catharsis, but I think that aligns with the story we want to convey. When viewed as a work, I actually think that ending carries a more powerful message."

He mentioned the actors he worked with. He said, "Honestly, I had contact with only Park Hae-soo and Kim Nam-gil. When shooting on set, since they are well-known actors, I felt a lot of consideration. In 'Witness,' we dealt with burn makeup, which created a horrifying and intense energy just from the visible image. Beyond that, I felt there was strength not only from the two characters’ strengths and weaknesses. The atmosphere on the set of 'Karma' felt different from other sets, as it was focused, tense, and a bit cold, but people were very energetic, which was a unique experience."

Outside of the work, there was also a chance to hear Shin Min-a's story. Known for a long time as a ‘Romantic Comedy Goddess,’ Shin Min-a, when asked about thoughts on image transformation, stated, "Since the works that have received a lot of love are primarily 'romantic comedies,' I feel grateful. I appreciate that many people think that way over a long time. However, wanting to show diverse aspects as an actor is probably a dream every actor has, right?" He added, "When it comes to screen time, it's not that much in romantic comedies. I've done human dramas and thrillers occasionally, so the ratio seems similar. But it seems many people love that side of me, and I think that's why they see me that way."

Shin Min-a also talked about her thirst for playing a villain. Reflecting on the 'resolution' point after encountering "Karma," she said, "It seemed like a work that had meaning in taking on challenges. The power of this story and 'Karma' seems significant. Rather than resolution, participation meant a lot. There are villains with narratives and those who commit evil without context. Rather than focusing on the villain aspect, I want to portray a more three-dimensional character. I’ve never played a truly bad person, and I think it would be fun to try it out."

Meanwhile, "Karma," featuring Shin Min-a, is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.

[Photo] Provided by Netflix

[OSEN]