Cover Story: Shin Eun Soo on her entertainment journey and where she wants to take it next

In Hong Kong for media appearances, the Twinkling Watermelon star takes a moment to chat with Zaneta Cheng about her nearly decade-long career and where she hopes to take it from here 

At just 21 years old, Shin Eun Soo exudes a fresh-faced charm on the set of our cover shoot at Kowloon Shangri-La. Even as we traipse up and down the hotel from one location to the next, the South Korean actress remains bouncy and bubbly, effortlessly delivering on every shot. This level of professionalism and comfort in front of a camera seems at odds with her young age but, as it turns out, Shin is in fact an industry veteran with eight years under her belt.

Shin, who joined JYP Entertainment in 2014 at age 12 to train as both singer and actress, always knew that she wanted to be in entertainment. Her initial career trajectory was to become a singer and it’s easy to imagine this doe-eyed beauty joining the ranks of a girl group and dancing to chart toppers.

On set, her hair is in cutesy curls – it’s for her new project, I’m told – and her make-up has given her a youthful flush across the cheeks. Shin isn’t the kind to display the studied enthusiasm one tends to see in seasoned entertainers. When she hears any of us comment on how cute she looks in the photos, she belts out a “thank you!” from in front of the camera. 

Like, perhaps, her peers, Shin enjoys indie rock.“Lately, I’ve been listening to songs by Wave to Earth a lot,” she says. “Their music is perfect to listen to in the early mornings on the way to work when I’m preparing for filming or when I want to calm my mind before going to bed at night.” 

Unlike her peers, however, Shin had already chosen her career path before she entered high school. “Until I became a high school student, I balanced both singing and acting. However, after carefully considering my career path, I chose to focus on acting and made up my mind to do that. After that, I concentrated on my acting studies and my work as an actress. I feel more joyful and truer to who I am when I act. Even though I don’t actively practise singing or dancing, if a project requires it, I’m still willing to work hard on it.” 

This shift coincided with Shin’s debut acting project, Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned, where despite having no experience at the time, she was selected out of a pool of 300 actors who auditioned for her role. “When I first went to the audition, I really didn’t have too many thoughts about it. Since I was a trainee working on being a singer, I didn’t feel too much pressure,” Shin recalls. “But after passing the first and second rounds of auditions and working on the role in acting classes, I began hoping I’d get the role. When I finally did, I was so excited and happy. It was really after I started working on this movie that I became more and more interested in acting and decided to continue pursuing it.” 

Lately, Shin is fresh off the success of Twinkling Watermelon, the television drama in which she plays a young Yoon Chung Ah, an isolated character who was born deaf with great dreams. It’s a role that required significant preparation. “After being cast as Chung Ah, I continued taking sign language lessons. As soon as I got home after class, I would watch the videos my teacher sent me and practice constantly. I made sure also to repeat the lessons consistently so I wouldn’t forget,” Shin says.

“Chung Ah, like Frida Kahlo, the painter she so admires, doesn’t lose hope or strength even in the most difficult of circumstances and carries on with her life. I found that admirable and I loved her pure and honest feelings towards the person that she loves.” 

Having frequently played the younger version of main characters, most notably Jun Ji Hyun’s Shim Cheong in hit series The Legend of the Blue Sea, Shin is well versed in tackling character complexity, being the throughline for an actress and the plot.

“Rather than feeling pressured by the difference between playing a character’s younger self and their present self, I think the pressure comes from wanting to do well in every role,” she explains. “Whether playing a younger or current version of a character, the goal of studying and striving for good acting remains the same.” 

For her character in Twinkling Watermelon, Shin’s challenge was to convincingly portray the life of someone who cannot hear. “First and foremost, it was essential to understand the lives of deaf people,” she says. “After that, I focused on tuning into Chung Ah’s emotions. One of the challenges was that even though I shouldn’t have been aware of sounds, I would sometimes unconsciously react to them, which led to retakes. That was tough sometimes.” 

Of course it hasn’t all been roses. Having to choose a career path at an age when most girls are figuring out their favourite band member and which extracurricular activity they might want to pursue for more than three months comes with its own set of challenges. “At times I’ve wondered whether this is the right path for me,” Shin shares. “Because I started acting at such a young age, my career path naturally led me to become an actress. But as I’ve continued to act, I’ve realised that I like the fact that I act. It makes me happy to do it and as I’ve come to realise this more and more, my doubts have faded away.” 

Shin’s enthusiasm for her work is evident. She’s willing to try anything. In terms of an on-screen role, she looks for scripts that resonate. “I first think about what message the script conveys and why I’m drawn to that particular character,” she says. At the same time, Shin has tried her hand, or rather her voice, in an animated movie. “I really like animated films, especially ones that match my sense of humour,” she says. “Vocal acting was a very precious experience that wasn’t easy to come by and I approached it with gratitude. If another good opportunity arises, I’d love to try it again.” 

“I want to become an actress who can handle a variety of genres,” Shin says in all earnestness. “For now, I’ll give my best to the roles I’ve been given. One genre I’d like to try is a proper thriller.” 

While a thriller is not yet on the horizon, one project audiences can look forward to is Light Shop, a webtoon mystery series directed by Kim Hee Won where the worlds of the living and the dead are connected through a store that sells lights. “Since this is senior actor Kim Hee Won’s directorial debut, when he offered me the role I was thankful and decided to join,” Shin says. “I like that I can work with many senior actors and that my role has a clear message to convey.” 

The show’s all-star cast and Shin’s own experience working with Korean acting heavyweights prompts a question about which entertainer has had the biggest impact on her. “I’ve worked with so many wonderful actors that it’s hard to pick just one,” she says, preferring to focus on her career as a whole. “I’ve learned so much from each project and I’m always grateful for the opportunity to act with them so I always try my best in every moment.” 

In terms of advice, however, one piece that’s stuck with her is to have a hobby. “I was told that even though working on a project and acting is important, it’s also essential to have a hobby during breaks in order to balance work and rest healthily,” she explains. “That advice really resonated with me.” 

So, what is Shin’s hobby? Until lately, it’s been sleeping. “I’m currently on a break from school but I attended until last semester. When I was balancing filming and school, I would schedule all my classes together as much as possible, so I could shoot when I didn’t have classes. Since it was quite physically taxing, I tried to get sleep whenever I could,” she says. “The most enjoyable thing about school was simply spending time with my close classmates. That made school life fun.” 

Since taking a break from Dongguk University, where she was studying under the theatre department, Shin says she’s been mostly staying at home. “But I also enjoy taking pictures of landscapes with my friends with a film camera. Sometimes I play the guitar, which I’ve been learning on my own at home.” 

Shin’s also a huge fan of variety television, citing South Korean shows like Running Man and Amazing Saturday. “If I could go on a show, I’d love to appear on Amazing Saturday because I often can’t catch the lyrics when I listen to songs so I’d like to find out if I’m the only one who struggles with that or if others do too,” she says with a laugh. 

As for her #legend, Shin says, “It’s hard to pinpoint one person specifically. I try to remember and hold on to the ‘legends’ from each moment.” As we wrap up the shoot and she bounds out of the suite with her team for a breather before dinner, I can’t help but wonder if this sojourn in Hong Kong will one day rank among Shin’s legendary moments. 

CREDITS
Creative concept and production / #legend and Buffacow 
Photography / Buffacow
Styling / Jungju Lee, Seonyoung Eom and Anthony Tong
Location / Kowloon Shangri-La 
Hair / Gunwong Na
Make-up / Yuri Choi
Producer / Thiziscompany Production / Alvin Chu
Photography Team / SING, Mike Lam, Cliff Chik and Kevin Cheung 

Also see: Cover Story: Park Bo-Young on her cinematic rise and playing against stereotype