Actress Shin Hye Sun is feeling the love after the release of Netflix’s The Art of Sarah — and according to her, the response was so overwhelming that it felt like her birthday.
In a recent interview, Shin Hye Sun shared how shocked she was by the number of messages she received as soon as the series dropped.
“Even before I could check viewers’ reactions, I got so many messages,” she said with a laugh. “I really thought it was my birthday. During the Lunar New Year holiday, I received more messages saying, ‘I enjoyed The Art of Sarah’, than holiday greetings.”
She added, “It’s been a long time since I felt this kind of reaction. People didn’t just say, ‘I watched it,’ they said, ‘Congratulations,’ and that made me really happy.”
The Art of Sarah quickly caught viewers’ attention despite not offering easy explanations or simple character introductions. T
he mystery thriller follows Sarah Kim, a woman who desperately wants to become a luxury brand herself — even if her life is built on lies.
As the story unfolds, different identities connected to her past are revealed, making the character complex and layered.
Shin Hye Sun admitted that even she found the script challenging at first.
“It’s a story where many different personas are connected as one person,” she explained. “It’s not a very easy drama, so it can be confusing. The script was even more confusing (laughs).”
She added, “But that made it more interesting. I was also confused about whether Sarah Kim was sincere or not. After talking it through, we decided that in those moments, she was sincere.”
The actress also shared her personal thoughts about Sarah Kim’s background, saying she believes some of the character’s identities may have been stolen.
Because the drama leaves parts of the past unexplained, Shin Hye Sun created her own interpretation to better understand the role.
“I thought maybe she had an unhappy childhood. Her dreams were very high, but her reality was harsh,” she said. “Sarah Kim acts elegant like a high-class woman, so I tried to show a more raw and natural side underneath.”
Some viewers interpreted the drama’s ending as a warning about chasing things beyond one’s limits. However, Shin Hye Sun disagreed with that view.
“I think Sarah Kim wanted to become a luxury brand herself,” she said. “For her, luxury goods were a way to show her value. The story isn’t trying to teach a lesson about staying in your place. It’s more about showing the illusion behind the values people chase.”
She also praised her co-star Lee Jun Hyuk, who played Detective Moo Kyung, for their strong on-screen chemistry. Their tense interrogation scene, built mainly on dialogue and eye contact, became one of the drama’s most talked-about moments.
“In that scene, I really had to trust my acting partner,” she shared. “If it weren’t for Jun Hyuk sunbae’s acting flow, I wouldn’t have known what to do. We followed each other’s emotions closely. Thanks to him, Sarah Kim’s charm was able to shine more.”
For Shin Hye Sun, The Art of Sarah was more than just another project. It was a personal challenge.
“Maybe I just like difficult roles,” she said with a smile. “Acting is always hard because you have to become someone else using lines written by someone else. But I still want to keep doing it. And if I do, I want to try even more diverse roles.”
With the strong buzz surrounding The Art of Sarah, it’s clear that Shin Hye Sun’s bold transformation left a lasting impression — and judging by the flood of congratulatory messages, fans agree.
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