Shin Min-a: 'I Have Never Been Loved This Much'

Shin Min-a has shown different charms in the drama "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho".

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Shin Min-a said, "I am physically okay, even enough to appear in another work right now, but I want to enjoy this great love from people now because I have never been loved this much before".

Actress Shin Min-a looked relaxed during an interview held at a cafe located in Gangnam on October 3.

In the SBS drama "My Girl is a Gumiho", which finished airing on September 30, she had shown a cheerful and cute image that she had presented in TV commercials up to now, and she had been loved greatly by viewers.

Her acting was good enough to silence all the critics who said that she was not a good actress even though she had gained fame as the "TV commercial queen". On the interview, she said, "I wanted to inform myself to as many people as possible by appearing in the drama and I wanted to come closer to the viewers, and certainly I could make those wishes come true by appearing in this drama. Many people called me 'Gumiho' on the set and they even followed me simply to see me from a close distance. I could feel that I had finally come closer to the public. When I can realize that I have built up such a friendly image with people, I feel really comfortable".

The drama had maintained around ten percent viewer ratings even during the time that the KBS drama "Bread, Love, and Dreams", which aired at the same time, recorded high viewer ratings. In the end, "My Girl is a Gumiho" recorded more than 20 percent viewer ratings.

Shin Min-a played a lovely and wild-eyed Gumiho in the drama, and her acting actually led to the popularity of the drama. Her wish that she could introduce herself as an actress through a drama seemed to be realized.

She said, "Regardless of the fact whether I act very well or not, I think that people may be able to notice my effort. At first, I was very nervous because I felt pressure about playing the character perfectly because the female characters in the writer's previous works such as 'Fantastic Couple' and "You're Beautiful" were all very lovely and successful". She continued, "The lines were extraordinary and the episodes were so unusual, so my acting might have looked exaggerated. But I put more effort in acting because it might have looked more awkward if I felt ashamed while acting in those scenes".

Shin Min-a debuted as a magazine model in 1998 and since then, she has appeared in about ten movies and dramas such as "Volcano High" and "Go Go 70s", but she could not achieve success as an actress, so people developed a strong image of her as simply a model appearing in TV commercials. She said, "Time has passed so fast, and I thought that I had to do something special and achieve something at this moment. I wanted to make people surprised to see my acting by showing completely unexpected acting, so I exaggerated to some degree while acting in the drama".

Sin had shown awkward acting in the beginning of the drama as if the character had not been suitable for her, but she gradually immersed herself in playing her character. Viewers even posted writings on the Internet website saying, "Even though I am a woman, I watch the drama because she looks so beautiful" and "Shin Min-a found the perfect role for her". Sin also revealed that she could meet the viewers' favorable expectations about her acting, which were different from the past. She said, "My grandmother and grandfather liked it very much and my six year-old nephew liked to talk about me even in his kindergarten. I am really happy that my family members are very proud of me, and I think that I have finally achieved one thing". She did not show any concern while saying, "If I appear in a TV commercial again after the drama, people might regard me as a TV commercial actress again. I do not feel any pressure about choosing some specific work only because I am a TV commercial star. I also have to carry that image as a commercial model, and it is I who has to choose a good work for me. I just want to do very well both in filming TV commercials and acting in a drama or movie. People came to acknowledge me by watching the TV commercials that I appeared in, so I cannot abandon my TV commercial image completely".

She disclosed, "Many people have shown me great love, but at the same time, people have also begun to evaluate me from different points of view. As many people have interest in me, some people also criticize me, and it makes me happy and sad. There are also many weaknesses I have, so sometimes I feel impatient about people's judgments. I know very well that there are always ups and downs, and I worry about it. But the important thing is that I am satisfied with myself right now and I have to enjoy people's love at this moment".

She also talked about Lee Seung-gi, the actor playing opposite her. She said, "Even though he is younger than me, there are some moments that I regard him as an older person. For example, he is a very reliable person. He has charisma and a relaxed attitude that might come from the great love he receives from the public, so I have a kind of duty to trust him. He was really popular on the set, and it was too much and more than I can expect, so I had to rely on him (laugh)". She revealed that she felt more responsibility to present better acting in this drama so she could gain her fans' respect and admiration, and that she had also come to have interest in comic acting.

Shin Min-a said, "In my late 20s, I had wanted to present a mature image by expressing sorrowful emotions in melodramas, but while acting in this drama, I came up with the idea that I should not try to present a mature image on purpose. I thought that I could not play a cute and lovely character any more, but the role of a lovely woman was very exciting to me. So I decided not to set any boundaries regarding the genre of my acting. I also want to appear in a real comedy and want to show totally honest acting by revealing even a devastated appearance. I was not a pleasant and cheerful person before, but I realized that pleasant acting looked beautiful while acting in this drama. If my agency allows, I want to take on many interesting challenges and even want to appear on entertainment programs".