The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 09 May 2013 03:53 AM PDT

Sharing screen time with heartthrobs is all in a day's work for Park Shin-hye.

In South Korea, actress Park Shin-hye is often described by the media as having "saved a country in her last life". The expression, often used in envy, alludes to having a blessed life.

After all, the 23-year-old has shared the small screen with some of South Korea's hottest stars: actor-singer Jang Geun-suk, 25, in You're Beautiful (2009); rock group CNBlue's leader Jung Yong-hwa, 23, in You're Beautiful and Heart Strings (2011); and up-and-coming actor Yoon Si-yoon, 26, in her latest drama Flower Boy Next Door.

Next up - she will star opposite heartthrob Lee Min-ho, 25, of Boys Over Flowers (2009) fame, in a new drama series, The Heirs.

When asked which of her swoonworthy leading men she shares the best chemistry with, Park replies: "If I had to choose one, it would be Jang Geun-suk. He's been acting for a long time, so it was comfortable exchanging lines with him in scenes."

Park previously revealed on a Korean variety show that Jang's mother is a big fan of hers. In fact, she is a hit with mothers in general.

In an e-mail interview, she says of her fans: "I think there's quite a good range of age groups, generally between 10 and 30 years of age, but it does seem that I'm a favourite among mothers. I'm really thankful for that."

It is understandable, given the string of sweet and demure roles she has played. She established her status as the girl next door when she played angelic daughter-in-law Hana in Tree Of Heaven (2006).

In Flower Boy Next Door, she plays the shy and quirky Go Dok-mi, who spies on her handsome neighbour, played by Kim Jung-san.

When asked if the real Park Shin-hye is sweet or quirky, the actress says: "I don't think any of the characters I've acted thus far are completely different from my own character. Be it demure or lively, I think they all contain a part of me."

It may be hard to believe, but the fresh-faced beauty is practically a small-screen veteran, having made her acting debut 10 years ago in the popular tearjerker Stairway To Heaven (2003). She won the Child Actress Award at the 2003 SBS Drama Awards for her role as the younger version of the lead character Han Jung-suh.

"Stairway To Heaven was the first drama I worked on, and You're Beautiful was the drama that brought me beyond Korea to meet fans from other countries. That is especially meaningful to me," reflects the actress, who is studying drama and cinema at Chung-Ang University in Seoul.

Park has also appeared in movies such as romantic comedy Cyrano Agency in 2010 and the heartwarming melodrama Miracle In Cell No. 7, which was released last year.

The latter broke records just 52 days after its release and is now the third highest grossing Korean film in Korea.

On the difference between dramas and movies, she says: "It's easier for dramas to reach out to audiences, since dramas can be viewed at home. But films are different because one has to go out, look for a cinema and buy the ticket to watch the film.

"I think I still need to work harder at cultivating the ability of bringing audiences out of their homes into the cinemas." –The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

The finale of Flower Boy Next Door airs this evening on Channel M HD (HyppTV Ch 601) at 7pm.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 8 Mei 2013