Actress Park Eun-bin released her anger through Hyper Knife’s crazed genius surgeon

SINGAPORE – South Korean actress Park Eun-bin is best known for the adorable autistic attorney she played in the hit 2022 K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo, who is startled by loud noises and loves whales. 

But in the upcoming series Hyper Knife, the sweet-faced 32-year-old laughs maniacally, makes threats with a smile and screams hysterically. She is also possibly murderous. 

The star plays genius neurosurgeon Jung Se-ok, whose career is derailed after a betrayal by her former mentor, renowned neurosurgeon Choi Deok-hee (Sul Kyung-gu). The medical thriller premieres on Disney+ on March 19.

Speaking to The Straits Times in a sit-down interview at Disney’s Asia-Pacific content showcase at Marina Bay Sands in November 2024, Park is excited to talk about her dangerous new turn on-screen. 

Famed for playing kind-hearted and optimistic leading women, she breaks new ground as Se-ok. In one trailer, she is seen strangling a woman in cold blood.

Park says: “Se-ok is very impulsive and short-tempered. It’s so fun because I get to relieve my stress through the character in a way I’ve never done before. I felt so free to release that anger through her. It was a very pleasant experience.”

Hyper Knife’s central focus is on the twisted love-hate relationship between Se-ok and Deok-hee, who recognise each other’s brilliance, yet have anger and resentment simmering between them. At the same time, the show forces them to pair up as reluctant allies at points.

Acclaimed South Korean veteran Sul, 57, who nabbed Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his performances in the films Hope (2013) and Kingmaker (2022), said he was glad to partner Park for the first time to portray such a dynamic. 

Calling it a joyous collaboration, he says: “Se-ok and Deok-hee’s relationship is the main plot and storyline. The raw emotions they have for each other, that comes out of them when they clash – it’s indescribable. They have a really firm grip on each other’s necks and their lives depend on the other.”

With two talented thespians on his hands, South Korean director Kim Jung-hyun gave Park and Sul fairly free rein.

Kim says: “Because I believed in them, I tried to see how far they could go with minimal direction from me. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they gave so much more than I expected in such rich performances. I grew more in awe of their story and acting towards the end of filming, both as director and viewer.”

While Hyper Knife involves crime and murder, there are plenty of tense scenes set in operating rooms as well. In a separate press conference at the same event, Park and Sul say they felt nervous about those scenes.

Sul recalls: “That first surgery scene was the most challenging for me. I have very thick hands that are not the most dexterous, so I had a hard time with the delicate surgery scenes.”

It was difficult to find a double for Park’s thin hands, so she had to step up. 

“I was worried about whether the scenes where I operated and sewed on-screen would appear fine, but thanks to the direction of the expert consultant we worked with, I did well. He said I won’t appear so different from his apprentices.”