Park Shin-hye in the teaser video for 'The Judge from Hell.' Screenshot from video on Disney+ Philippines' YouTube channelPark Shin-hye is well aware that she often plays endearing and strong-willed characters in her television projects. So when the opportunity came to play a devilish role in “The Judge from Hell,” a series that combines fantasy and legal drama, the 34-year-old actress eagerly embraced the challenge.

“My fans always tell me I always play a sort of poor girl with an undying spirit, but I think this was definitely a chance for me to break through that,” Shin-hye said through an interpreter during a recent press conference for “The Judge from Hell.”

The series, which premiered on September 21 and is available for streaming on Disney+, tells the story of Justitia, a devil who ascends to the human world and takes over the body of Judge Kang Bit-na (played by Shin-hye), with the goal to drag criminals to hell.

However, Bit-na’s mission takes an unexpected turn when she encounters the compassionate detective Han Da-on, portrayed by Kim Jae-young.

“When I was reading the script, I was curious how people would take me if I played this demon role who is an anti-hero,” Shin-hye said.

(From back to front, left to right) Director Park Jin-pyo, Kim In-known, Kim A-young, Park Shin-hye and Kim Jae-young at the press conference for 'The Judge from Hell.' Photo from Shin-hye's Instagram account Photo from Shin-hye's Instagram accountDirector Park Jin-pyo said Shin-hye, known for hit K-dramas like “The Heirs” and “Memories of the Alhambra,” was the ideal choice for the role of Bit-na, adding that the character provided the actress an opportunity to showcase a new dimension of her talent.

“Shin-hye has been taking on various roles that are very lively, bright, joyful, but underneath that, I think she also possesses a lot of desires as an actress,” Jin-pyo said.

“She wants to show different sides of herself and Bit-na is a character who is also lovable despite being wicked. I needed an actress who had that duality inside of her,” he added.

Shin-hye stressed that Bit-na is no simple villain, but a “multifaceted, three-dimensional character.”

“Usually, when we think of a villain in a series, we think of characters who cause harm to others or people that commit crimes or sins, However, this character is not so much a villain. It’s just the plot device that she’s a devil,” the actress said.

“Rather than this being a villainous character, she’s just someone who's unapologetic and someone who’ll give you that cathartic feeling. [She is] a woman in her mid-30s, who works as a judge, and her personality changes completely overnight. Before, you couldn’t get a peep out of her but the next day, she completely changes, unfiltered and unapologetic, an extremely fierce person. I think that’s what I focused on,” she said.

“The Judge from Hell” marks Shin-hye’s second series of 2024, following the medical drama “Doctor Slump,” which aired from January to March.

READ: Park Hyung-sik, Park Shin-hye treat Pinoy patient in ‘Doctor Slump’

Restraining feelings

One of the challenges of portraying Bit-na, Shin-hye revealed, was managing her emotional reactions to her co-stars’ performances.

“Bit-na is a demon so she doesn’t really feel what people feel. So when someone is having a hard time, she doesn’t know how to feel pity. But the other cast members were doing so great with their performances so when I was watching them, I shouldn’t be feeling anything, but as a human being, I would totally immerse myself in the situation. I shouldn’t have cried but I would tear up because they were playing their roles wonderfully,” she recalled.

Jae-young, known for his roles in “Love in Contract” and “Reflection of You,” commended Shin-hye for being a dependable co-actor.

“She’s always ready, always prepared and that’s why I could really rely on her. When there’s an emotional scene and I couldn’t focus, she comforted me and gave me some advice. That really helped me out a lot,” the actor said.

Shin-hye returned the praises, describing Jae-young as a “good partner.”

“He’s always the one who’s so nice to the cast and staff. There’s a whole lot of staff and cast [members] in this show and because I had so many scenes, I was on the set every day, so instead of being nice to every single person, I just looked at the entire atmosphere of the set,” she said.

“But Jae-young would come to each and every person on the set and provide that bright energy to those people and that energy was something that I got as well. Thanks to that, we could work well together.”

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