Disney+’s “Hyper Knife,” despite initial medical thriller marketing, became a genre-bending drama. The series, concluding on April 9th, explores the relationship between two neurosurgeons and features another strong performance from Park Eun-bin, known for “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022).
Park Eun-bin plays Jung Se-ok, a brilliant but disgraced surgeon who forms a unique mentor-mentee bond with Choi Deok-hee (Sul Kyung-gu), a teacher who shares her mindset.
In a departure from her charming autistic lawyer role, Park portrays a disturbingly cold and ruthless surgeon, for whom even murder is just a means to further neuroscience. Her character, Se-ok, calmly states, covered in blood, “For one to survive, the other must perish.”
In a Korea Times interview in Seoul, Park Eun-bin mentioned that this was her first time playing a constantly angry character. She found a liberating aspect to this new type of acting. While questioning her character’s lines and thoughts, she also felt a thrill in imagining facing the world with such a determined mindset.
Park Eun-bin’s decision to take on the “Hyper Knife” role wasn’t driven by a desire to play a villain or break away from her previous image. Instead, she wanted to explore new areas in her acting career. Therefore, she was surprised by viewers’ fearful reactions to her character.
The actress explained that her goal wasn’t to be scary, so the audience’s response was intriguing. Her main focus was to truly understand Jung Se-ok’s core being. She believed that acting without understanding would be mere imitation. She put in her best effort to use all her knowledge to create her own complex portrayal of Se-ok.
To develop the character of Se-ok, Park Eun-bin researched antisocial personality disorder. She aimed to create a complex character using traits associated with this disorder as a reference point. She wasn’t concerned that the portrayal would be seen as purely psychopathic. Her approach to building an unfamiliar character involves trying to understand them personally, using established diagnostic frameworks as a starting point.
She likened the process of embodying this terrible yet intricate character to introducing a new friend. She expressed deep gratitude that viewers connected with the blend of her artistic interpretation and Se-ok’s personality, leading to greater empathy and engagement than she had anticipated.
Director Kim Jung-hyun described “Hyper Knife” as an exploration of intense obsession and a warped form of love, focusing on the complex and hard-to-define relationship between a mentor and their student, emphasizing their deep psychological connection. He highlighted the anticipation of presenting a unique mentor-protege dynamic within Korean society.
He explained that the bond between the two brilliant characters offers a sense of release through encountering someone who reflects their own nature, defining their relationship as a peculiar affection between kindred spirits.
Kim Jung-hyun intentionally gave their interactions a theatrical feel, using wide shots and sometimes disregarding realism. For instance, he pointed out scenes where Deok-hee and Se-ok openly discuss murder in public without anyone noticing, creating a sense that they exist in their own world, akin to actors on a stage.
Regarding casting Park Eun-bin as Se-ok, the director stated he needed an actress who could simultaneously convey innocence and unpredictability. He viewed the complex genre of “Hyper Knife” as providing a “blank canvas” for Se-ok’s role, and he anticipated that viewers would find a certain thrill in seeing her blood-spattered appearance.
Ultimately, the director summarized the drama as “a story about crazy love,” where the object of affection might not be logical, potentially being brain surgery or a person. He expressed his hope that the drama would prompt viewers to consider the intensity of their own past loves for someone or something. While the narrative approach might be novel, he believes the core message is a universal story about deep affection.
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