SINGAPORE - Most of us would never know what it feels like to be royalty, but South Korean actress Jang Nara got to experience it twice. In 2006, Jang played a snobby blueblood in My Bratty Princess, and now in The Last Empress, she plays the girl next door, Sunny Oh, who goes from chasing her dreams of becoming a musical actress to marrying the emperor.

In an e-mail interview, Jang, 37, says the two roles are very different. She says: "I take inspiration from the empresses of the Daehan Empire (1897-1910), who faced many difficulties and obstacles in their time. The role I play now is so different from My Bratty Princess. Situ Jing was very high class and could be considered as snobbish, but Sunny is more down-to-earth, which is a role that I prefer."