INTERVIEW Shin Si-a: 'I've fallen in love with acting itself'

Beneath the crisp white coat stood a tear-prone first-year resident, outwardly composed, inwardly tender and unmistakably sincere. Actor Shin Si-a, who played Pyo Nam-kyung in tvN’s recently wrapped medical drama “Resident Playbook,” tackled her first doctor role and, in the process, discovered fresh purpose in both acting and life.

“It was my very first time portraying a physician,” Shin said in a recent interview. “Before filming, I shadowed at hospitals, visited residents’ lounges and observed real consultations. Whenever I ran into medical jargon I didn’t understand, I called my grandfather, a retired internist, who happily explained everything.”

Shin, who had been on hiatus since her breakout film “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One,” said her grandfather had longed to see her on the small screen again. “He was thrilled,” she laughed. “He kept telling me how proud he was.”

On paper, Pyo Nam-kyung appears cool and efficient, but beneath the surface she is emotional and empathetic. “She’s ordinary but tries incredibly hard, and I related to that,” Shin said. “Once I dedicate myself to something, I go all in — just like her.”

The drama traces residents’ evolution as they confront life and death situations. “Nam-kyung starts out immature and reactive, but matures through facing loss,” Shin explained. “Seen in snippets, she can look prickly, so I wove in my own warmth, a friendly smile and respect for elders to soften her edges.”

Set camaraderie like no other

“The set was almost too happy,” the actress said, crediting director Lee Min-soo for a warm atmosphere. Castmates bonded like friends, taking trips together during breaks. “When we wrapped, it felt like a real farewell. I cried a lot.”

Those friendships endure off-screen, especially with co-stars Go Youn-jung and Son Ji-yoon. “Youn-jung "eonni" (affectionate term meaning older sister) guided me through blocking, line delivery, everything. Ji-yoon eonni once called during filming and said, ‘You’re doing great.’ I teared up because she reminded me of my on-screen mentor.”

Shin’s biggest inspiration remains her grandfather. “He practiced into his 80s without a single break and truly loved his patients,” she said. “Through this project, I realized medicine isn’t just about curing disease — it’s about comforting hearts.”

“This drama was a gift to all of us,” she said. “If there’s a second season, I’d appear even in a cameo.”

Asked what kind of actor she wants to become, Shin paused. “I’ve fallen in love with acting itself,” she said. “I want to keep working with sincerity. If I do, audiences will feel that honesty.”

With her film “The Old Woman with the Knife” also garnering buzz, Shin is racing ahead, quietly, persistently, toward the next chapter in her own coming-of-age story.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.