Actor You Need to Know: Shin Min-a

On the runway, she is a model who can raise a riot, and onscreen, she is an actress who can be in a league of her own. Shin Min-a’s acting talents first drew my attention when I encountered her in Oh My Venus (2015), a superhit romantic comedy with So Ji-sub, where she excelled in the role of an overweight attorney. And even though she is most popular as the fabled super-powerful Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox from My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010), her greatest strength appears to be a willingness to experiment with characters, as evidenced by her eclectic acting career.

Being a model for years before her foray into the world of acting, the X-factor was already inherent in her. It was something that kept her in the spotlight, and additionally, she continued to feature in numerous music videos. It is indeed worth noting that Shin is blessed with impressive vocal qualities. She is an amazing singer with an interesting discography to her credit. But in the sphere of acting, a watershed moment in her life arrived with two films: Volcano High (2001) with Jang Hyuk, and Madeleine (2003) with Jo In-sung.

The 38-year-old, who began working at an early age, frequently regrets missing out on school days and academics, but she also recognizes her gratitude for having discovered a profession she truly enjoys, which motivates her to perform better. Shin’s acting abilities were identified in a supporting role in the critically acclaimed Korean noir film A Bittersweet Life (2005), co-starring Lee Byung-hun. A string of subsequent roles that same year – including a deaf character in Sad Movie, a rising actress in A Love to Kill, a blind girl in Beast and the Beauty alongside a quiet librarian with uncanny ability in The Devil and a martial artist with enhanced strengths in My Mighty Princess in 2007 – enhanced her acting prowess.

Accolades started streaming in with Shin’s portrayal of Mimi in the musical period drama film Go Go 70s (2008), where she plays a groupie following an indie rock band, Devils, becoming a celebrity in the process. Her successive character choices kept adding to her stardom. A brilliant performance as an unfaithful wife in The Naked Kitchen (2009), following a ménage à trois (a traditional marriage between three individuals), gained extensive adulation. With a spate of more incredible feats executed to perfection, she evolved as a more determined actor. Be it in the admired road movie Sisters on the Road (2008) or the historical drama Arang and the Magistrate (2012), Shin made her mark with her signature style and grace.

As her career grew bigger and more demanding, the actor’s experimentation with characters kept increasing. I can imagine her search for new storylines and roles relying on the ventures she undertook between 2013 and 2019. Shin’s passion for variety is exemplified by an espionage thriller short film, The X (2013), an introspective art-house romance picture, Gyeongju (2014), and a romantic comedy, My Love, My Bride (2014). Her acting talent exploded even more, with her candour on screen on display in the fantasy melodrama Tomorrow, With You (2016), the mystery film Diva (2018), and the political drama Chief of Staff (2019). If you were to ask me, I’d say Shin Min-a is a perfect mix of elegance and strength, and that shows in each of her renditions. She is fantastic!

With time, maturity, improved skills and more love, the superstar seems to have gotten more beautiful. Her on-screen avatars in recent years, such as that of a self-made dentist in the blockbuster K-drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) or that of a single parent in the omnibus K-drama Our Blues (2022), exhibit her getting increasingly comfortable with how she looks on the surface, something that she often refers to as becoming freer, enabling her to transmit a more relaxed vibe on camera.