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Park Shin-hye in the teaser video for 'The Judge from Hell.' Screenshot from video on Disney+ Philippines' YouTube channel

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Why Park Shin-hye was picked for ‘lovable, wicked’ role in ‘The Judge from Hell’

Paul Xavier Jaehwa Bernardo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1726983810355PARK SHINHYE.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Park Shin-hye in the teaser video for &#x27;The Judge from Hell.&#x27; Screenshot from video on Disney+ Philippines&#x27; YouTube channelPark Shin-hye is well aware that she often plays endearing and strong-willed characters in her television projects. So when the opportunity came to play a devilish role in “The Judge from Hell,” a series that combines fantasy and legal drama, the 34-year-old actress eagerly embraced the challenge.</div>“My fans always tell me I always play a sort of poor girl with an undying spirit, but I think this was definitely a chance for me to break through that,” Shin-hye said through an interpreter during a recent press conference for “The Judge from Hell.”The series, which premiered on September 21 and is available for streaming on Disney+, tells the story of Justitia, a devil who ascends to the human world and takes over the body of Judge Kang Bit-na (played by Shin-hye), with the goal to drag criminals to hell.However, Bit-na’s mission takes an unexpected turn when she encounters the compassionate detective Han Da-on, portrayed by Kim Jae-young.“When I was reading the script, I was curious how people would take me if I played this demon role who is an anti-hero,” Shin-hye said.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1726984044518Snapinsta.app_460518587_1102969351186101_8034852715940067611_n_1080.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>(From back to front, left to right) Director Park Jin-pyo, Kim In-known, Kim A-young, Park Shin-hye and Kim Jae-young at the press conference for &#x27;The Judge from Hell.&#x27; Photo from Shin-hye&#x27;s Instagram account<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1726984080875Snapinsta.app_460485141_1915512812288498_1409279866176230523_n_1080.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/> Photo from Shin-hye&#x27;s Instagram accountDirector Park Jin-pyo said Shin-hye, known for hit K-dramas like “<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/07/23/remembering-the-heirs-teen-series-spawns-big-k-drama-stars">The Heirs</a>” and “Memories of the Alhambra,” was the ideal choice for the role of Bit-na, adding that the character provided the actress an opportunity to showcase a new dimension of her talent.</div>“Shin-hye has been taking on various roles that are very lively, bright, joyful, but underneath that, I think she also possesses a lot of desires as an actress,” Jin-pyo said.“She wants to show different sides of herself and Bit-na is a character who is also lovable despite being wicked. I needed an actress who had that duality inside of her,” he added.Shin-hye stressed that Bit-na is no simple villain, but a “multifaceted, three-dimensional character.”“Usually, when we think of a villain in a series, we think of characters who cause harm to others or people that commit crimes or sins, However, this character is not so much a villain. It’s just the plot device that she’s a devil,” the actress said.“Rather than this being a villainous character, she’s just someone who&#x27;s unapologetic and someone who’ll give you that cathartic feeling. [She is] a woman in her mid-30s, who works as a judge, and her personality changes completely overnight. Before, you couldn’t get a peep out of her but the next day, she completely changes, unfiltered and unapologetic, an extremely fierce person. I think that’s what I focused on,” she said.“The Judge from Hell” marks Shin-hye’s second series of 2024, following the medical drama “Doctor Slump,” which aired from January to March.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/3/17/park-hyung-sik-park-shin-hye-treat-pinoy-patient-in-doctor-slump-1408">READ: Park Hyung-sik, Park Shin-hye treat Pinoy patient in ‘Doctor Slump’</a></div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nisDuNZVhsU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div><div>Restraining feelings</div>One of the challenges of portraying Bit-na, Shin-hye revealed, was managing her emotional reactions to her co-stars’ performances.“Bit-na is a demon so she doesn’t really feel what people feel. So when someone is having a hard time, she doesn’t know how to feel pity. But the other cast members were doing so great with their performances so when I was watching them, I shouldn’t be feeling anything, but as a human being, I would totally immerse myself in the situation. I shouldn’t have cried but I would tear up because they were playing their roles wonderfully,” she recalled.Jae-young, known for his roles in “Love in Contract” and “Reflection of You,” commended Shin-hye for being a dependable co-actor.“She’s always ready, always prepared and that’s why I could really rely on her. When there’s an emotional scene and I couldn’t focus, she comforted me and gave me some advice. That really helped me out a lot,” the actor said.Shin-hye returned the praises, describing Jae-young as a “good partner.”“He’s always the one who’s so nice to the cast and staff. There’s a whole lot of staff and cast [members] in this show and because I had so many scenes, I was on the set every day, so instead of being nice to every single person, I just looked at the entire atmosphere of the set,” she said.“But Jae-young would come to each and every person on the set and provide that bright energy to those people and that energy was something that I got as well. Thanks to that, we could work well together.”<div>For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/kcontents">Hallyu Corner</a> microsite.</div>

In 'The Judge from Hell,' Park Shin-hye takes on the role of the wicked but lovable Kang Bit-na, a judge possessed by a demon.

In 'The Judge from Hell,' Park Shin-hye takes on the role of the wicked but lovable Kang Bit-na, a judge possessed by a demon.