Zhang Ling He hailed as a 'Chinese superstar sweeping across France'
Shin Eun Soo sits for an interview for her Netflix K-movie Love Untangled.
Love Untangled follows the story of Park Se Ri (Shin Eun Soo) in 1998, who devises a plan to straighten her perpetually unruly frizzy hair to prepare for the biggest confession of her life.
In the film, Shin Eun Soo plays Park Se Ri, a young girl who struggles to fix her curly hair.
Shin Eun Soo, having flaunted a Busan dialect in the movie, revealed, "I memorized the script before filming began. There was a dialect teacher on set, and we made constant corrections, putting in a lot of effort to implement it as best as possible."
"I didn't keep the [hardcopy of the] script but made clips of it on my iPad and marked the pitches and intonations. The tricky thing about the dialect is that even though there are rules, it feels like there aren't. It’s different for every word, and the pitch is subtly detailed. We created a kind of numbering system, setting our own rules that only the teacher and I understood, and that made the preparation much smoother." She added, "I really don't know the dialect well. Even while acting, I needed confirmation. I only felt reassured when the teacher or people actually from Busan would say, 'You're doing well.'"
Shin Eun Soo previously acted in sign language in the 2023 tvN drama Twinkling Watermelon. When complimented on her seemingly exceptional talent for languages, the actress responded, "Dialect and sign language feel like a second foreign language to me. Both require immense dedication, but the dialect was more difficult for me. There was simply so much volume to learn, and capturing the native vibe was quite challenging, which caused me a lot of worry."
Talking about the character's stubborn curly hair, she said, "When I first read the script, I actually had straight hair without bangs. I thought having bangs would make the character look more lovely, so I cut them. The makeup team was very meticulous, which is how Se Ri's hair came to be. It was much more comfortable than I expected. I liked it so much that after the three-month shoot, I got a perm."
Recalling memories from her school days, Shin said, "I had a really good school life. I was active during middle school and focused on my studies in high school. I attended an arts high school, did performances all the time, and made many memories doing night practice sessions with my friends. Back then, my biggest worry was whether I'd be able to get into college."
She also revealed that her friends saw a lot of herself in the character: "After watching the movie, my close friends said, 'It feels like we're watching you.' I think the vibe I naturally give off when I'm with people I'm close to must have been Se Ri's default. I tried to play Se Ri with my energy levels at their peak."
Just as Se Ri considered her curly hair a hindrance, Shin Eun Soo also had her own insecurities. "I had atopic dermatitis during my school days. It's almost completely healed now, but when I was young, I used to feel embarrassed wearing short sleeves because of the scars. That's why I was happy that through this project, I was able to deliver the message that being just as you are is what's best."
Love Untangled is streaming on Netflix.
