Shin Hae-sun Says She “Regretted Taking the Role” — Then Delivered a Career-Defining Performance in Lady Dua

Shin Hae-sun is receiving explosive global attention for her transformation in Netflix’s Lady Dua, a role she admits was so difficult she briefly wondered, “Why did I choose this?”

Since its release, the series has entered the Global Top 10 (Non-English) and ranked No.1 in multiple Asian countries while landing in the Top 10 across 38 regions, turning the actress into the center of worldwide buzz. She revealed she received so many congratulatory messages during the Lunar New Year that she “thought it was her birthday.”

At the heart of the praise is her portrayal of Sara Kim, a woman who repeatedly reinvents her identity. The performance earned descriptions like “acting masterclass” and “she’s possessed by the role.”
Shin Hae-sun explained that what made the character truly challenging was the deliberately ambiguous emotions.

Unlike her previous roles with clear motivations, Sara Kim required her to maintain a controlled, elegant voice and conceal emotional signals, a choice she worried might feel unnatural to viewers. The difficulty was not physical but psychological a character with no single, definitive emotional line.

Despite the struggle, she now calls the result deeply rewarding.

Rather than viewing the character as someone obsessed with luxury, Shin interpreted her as a woman who wants to become something valuable herself, a perspective that shaped the emotional core of the performance.

The project also became a turning point in her career.
She stepped away from her usual acting preparation method and pushed through moments where she told the director she “couldn’t do it,” only to complete the role and earn some of the strongest reviews of her career.

For Shin Hae-sun, Lady Dua was not just another hit it was the experience that redefined how she approaches acting.