Park Ji Hyun has opened up about the deeply personal family experience that helped shape her performance in You and Everything Else, which has now earned her a nomination at the 54th International Emmy Awards.
The actress was nominated in the Best Performance by an Actress category for her role as Cheon Sang Yeon in the Netflix series, becoming the first Korean female actor to receive an International Emmy acting nomination.
Her performance drew attention for portraying Sang Yeon across different stages of life, including the character’s battle with a terminal illness.
Park Ji Hyun previously revealed on You Quiz on the Block that the role felt especially personal because her father had been diagnosed with cancer several years earlier.
She said, “My father was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago. By the time I received the script, he was doing much better, so I asked him, ‘What kind of pain is that?’”
According to Park Ji Hyun, her father answered, “If it weren’t for my family, I would have wanted to die.”
She said the conversation stayed with her while preparing for Sang Yeon and helped her better understand the emotional weight of the character.
Park Ji Hyun also shared that some scenes were difficult because Sang Yeon was written as someone who had largely accepted death. To prepare emotionally, she sometimes cried for hours before filming.
She explained, “It was harder than I expected to hold back tears. Before filming, I would cry at home for two or three hours before going to set.”
The actress also said she paid close attention to the character’s physical appearance as the illness progressed, though her preparation included an extreme diet that she later described in interviews.
Looking back, Park Ji Hyun said the project changed the way she thinks about death, making it feel less distant and more connected to everyday life.
Her nomination now brings renewed attention to the personal effort behind the role. The 54th International Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on November 23 in New York.
