INTERVIEW Actress learns how to be stress-free with 'Psychokinesis'

Actress Shim Eun-kyung, starring in director Yeon Sang-ho’s new sci-fi fantasy film “Psychokinesis,” poses prior to an interview with The Korea Times at a Seoul cafe, Thursday. / Courtesy of Management AND

By Park Jin-hai

Award-winning actress Shim Eun-kyung, a 23-year-old who played a woman in her 70s trapped in a 20-year-old body, says her new role in the black comedy “Psychokinesis” was difficult for her.

“My previous roles had unique concepts _ ‘Miss Granny’ was an old woman who mysteriously regained her youth; a highschooler who cannot ride any transportation due to motion sickness in ‘Queen of Walking;’ and a highschooler who swears as if in a state of possessed by spirits in ‘Sunny.’ Compared with those, my new role was quite the opposite,” said the actress during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. “My new role had none of these peculiar concepts. Although the film itself is sci-fi fantasy, the role I had to play is an ordinary person one can see in reality documentary TV shows. I really wanted this new character, but at the same time, I was worried,” she added, calling herself a worrywart.

Shim, who debuted in 2004 with the 2004 TV series “The Woman Who Wants to Marry” as a child actress, joined zombie thriller “Train to Busan” director Yeon Sang-ho’s new project “Psychokinesis.” The supernatural thriller tells the story of a man who inadvertently acquires superpowers and uses them to help his daughter and others, but runs into trouble in the process.

The actress plays Shin Roo-mi, an estranged daughter of a superhero father, played by veteran actor Ryu Seung-ryong. After the death of Shin’s mother, who was killed in struggles with thugs hired by building demolition companies for an old town redevelopment project, the father-daughter duo teams up to fight for their home along with other evictees.

“I found the characters _ reflections of various people in real life _ the director depicts in the film as very interesting. It was intriguing how those involved affected one another,” said Shim. “If the director mainly had shocking endings in his previous animated films, while I was working with him this time I was surprised by how he makes a delicate balancing job of retaining both commercial elements and his unique directing style with some clever sarcastic wit.”

It was Shin’s third project with the director. In 2016, she appeared in Yeon’s “Train to Busan” and voice recorded the heroine of “Seoul Station,” the animated prequel of “Train to Busan.”

“In my understanding, the film includes the director’s sharp perspectives of modernization and city development, but focuses more on the catharsis the audience would feel seeing an ordinary person gain a superpower and use it,” added Shin, who said her favorite scene is the police station scene where nearly half of the lines were made impromptu at the shooting.

Although Shim has continued to build her acting spectrum over her 14 year career, she says she has been obsessed with the idea that she should excel in her acting and constantly feels she sells herself short.

“Psychokinesis” has freed her of such an obsession. “There were times that I could act feeling not stressed. But as time goes on, I was gripped by thoughts that I should reveal different characters in each project. Then I came to wonder if acting is really for me,” said Shin. “Thanks to ‘Psychokinesis,’ I learned to accept acting in a more relaxed way. When I worried and asked Yeon about what new acting styles he expects from me, he said I should not worry about it because he likes to use my style so I can focus more on the project stress-free.”

Her latest film hits local theaters, Wednesday.