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On January 12, a press conference for tvN's new Saturday–Sunday drama Undercover Miss Hong was held. Director Park Seon Ho, along with actors Park Shin Hye, Ha Yoon Kyung, and Cho Han Gyeol, attended. Go Kyung Pyo was absent due to health issues.
Undercover Miss Hong follows Hong Geum Bo (Park Shin Hye), an elite supervisor for the Financial Supervisory Service, who goes undercover as a 20-year-old entry-level employee at a securities firm after detecting suspicious fund flows.
Regarding her reason for choosing this project, Park Shin Hye said, "After The Judge from Hell, I wondered what kind of character I could enjoy expressing. Among various options, I found the character Hong Geum Bo interesting because she is a sharp, fierce figure known as the 'Yeouido Witch', who goes undercover as a twenty-year-old junior employee. As I read the script, I thought the situations that arise from [her] interacting with various characters and the resulting synergy would be very enjoyable, so I decided to participate."
On the character being named Hong Geum Bo, director Park explained, "Since I also lived during that era, I have nostalgia and fondness for Hong Kong movies of the time, and the character's name, Hong Geum Bo, immediately caught my eye in the script. When I discussed with the writer, we talked about the stereotypical perceptions and gender roles associated with femininity. Since this story is about a progressive female character who boldly overturns those conventions, Hong Geum Bo — who embodied a cool, righteous figure of the era while maintaining comedy — fit perfectly. I told the writer that the name was really well chosen."
Talking about her preparation for the character, Park Shin Hye said, "Although I was young, I had experienced the scenario while growing up, so it wasn't difficult [to prepare] because I didn't need to research extensively. I think everything I had felt was fully reflected [on screen]. Our society was patriarchal and male-centered, wasn't it? Even outside of work, you could feel it at home or at school. The subtle discomforts I had in one corner of me, the emotions I felt — I was able to naturally incorporate them [into the character]. Although I was young, it's a period that remains very vivid in my memory. I filmed immersed in nostalgia."
"I think this is a work where I let go of myself a lot. It was a set where I could give my body and heart without holding back. I started working when I was 14, and in my twenties, I just kept running straight ahead. But now that I'm in my 30s, as I've accumulated more projects [on my portfolio], started a family, and grown with each passing year, I've come to learn and understand various emotions that I hadn't felt before. Because of that, the range of emotions I can express has also expanded. In my twenties, I was barely managing to express emotions without having experienced them, but now that I'm older — around the same age as 35-year-old Hong Geum Bo — I understand the dialogue [more deeply] and act naturally. So I think Miss Hong was a bit more comfortable for me to portray. Moving forward, as I grow older and meet more people, I think the emotions I learn and feel will continue to help my acting and find their way into my performances."
"I would like to hear comments such as, 'She's become much more comfortable.' She's a character with many comedic elements and personality changes, so I hope people say that I portrayed the character's diverse aspects well and that 'even though she is thirty-five, she can still show the rampageous energy of a twenty-year-old.'"
Regarding ratings — since Typhoon Family ended with a viewership exceeding 10% — Park Shin Hye said, "Of course, we would be grateful and happy if the ratings come out well, but even if they don't, we're trying not to let it weigh on us. I have no doubt that many people will love the drama."
When asked if she wanted to beat Typhoon Family, she replied, "I don't want to compare anyone's efforts. Since it's a previous work, I hope to follow [in its footsteps] and take some of its good energy."
