SHIM EUN-KYUNG

Green velvet jacket and trousers, yellow silk and velvet shirt and green leather fringe shoes, all by Burberry

Shim Eun-Kyung has never seen acting as something straightforward. “Acting has always been a difficult challenge for me, a big mountain to climb,” she reflects. Even as she grew older, it didn’t necessarily become easier. “I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll understand it more when I become an adult,’ but not at all. In fact, there are many times when it becomes increasingly incomprehensible.”

Words by Emika Ohta Seger.

Photographed by Ji + Doh. Styled by Hyun Kukseon. Makeup by Hwangbo Nayeong. Hair by Ma Junho. Video by Park Dae Gun. Stylist assisted by Kim Girim. MUA assisted by Kim Yurim. Hair assisted by Lee Hyoeun. Story shot at Spring Studio Seongsu. Shim appears courtesy of PanPare.

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That sense of difficulty, however, has not discouraged her — rather, it has defined her relationship to her craft. From senior actors and crew, she learned that the only way forward was persistence. That early lesson still shapes her approach today: to keep working, keep striving, and to carry on even when acting feels impossibly difficult.

It’s a strikingly modest stance from an actor who has already achieved historic recognition. With The Journalist (2019), Shim became the first Korean actor to win Best Actor at the Japan Academy Film Prize. “To be honest, it still feels unbelievable to me,” she admits. Yet alongside the joy came a renewed determination. She recalls reminding herself not to become complacent: “I should stay humble, hold on to my gratitude, and continue to do my work faithfully.”

Wool zipped and button jacket, wool cardigan, leather multi buckle belt and wool trousers, all by ROKH

Fashion, too, has occasionally played a role in how she discovers a character. She remembers how the red muffler worn by her character, Yoshioka, in The Journalist, provided an unexpected key. Red, she felt, captured Yoshioka’s persistence and passion for the truth. That single accessory became a symbol of the character’s sincerity and fuelled her portrayal.

Off-screen, Shim’s approach to fashion is less about symbolism and more about authenticity. She gravitates toward a simple and modern style, “rock-chic and suits” — as she puts it — while enjoying vintage finds and poring over old magazines for inspiration. “I always think about what it means to be ‘myself’,” she says.

That philosophy guided her much-discussed appearance at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival, where she wore a sharply tailored Alexander McQueen suit rather than a gown. The look was both striking and unexpected, though it was less about making a statement and more about confidence. “McQueen’s 2025 Autumn/Winter collection was absolutely stunning, and the suit instantly caught my eye,” she explains. “When I step in front of people, I want to choose clothes that make me feel the most authentic and confident.”

Wool silk double-breasted jacket, Chantilly lace, tulle and embroidered organza high neck top with collar and wool silk trousers, all by McQueen

On screen, her willingness to embrace difficulty is just as apparent. She cites television drama Money Game (2020) as her most significant challenge to date. Because the series tackled the intricacies of the Korean economy, she found herself delving deep into economic concepts while trying to capture the nuances of her character, Lee Hye-joon. “I wanted to break out of certain limitations within myself through this role, to create a character who was active and flexible rather than passive,” she recalls. “It was intense,” she admits, “but I worked very hard because I wanted to carry it through to the end.”

It is perhaps unsurprising that many of Shim’s most celebrated roles have been those of women with a mix of resilience and fragility, though she reflects that this has never been deliberate. “I was fortunate that some projects came to me, and I naturally empathised with those characters,” she explains. What draws her is humanity itself, stories that resonate and feel necessary in today’s world. “I also believe that many people, not just myself, want to see more of these kinds of female characters in the media, and I am no exception.”

This year, though, has already brought a career highlight. Shô Miyake’s Two Seasons, Two Strangers (2025), in which Shim plays a screenwriter named Lee, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in August and went on to win the Golden Leopard. “I had always heard about the prestige of Locarno — it’s a festival that every filmmaker dreams of at least once,” she says. She still recalls the sight of the 2,800-seat theatre sold out on opening night, and the extraordinary feeling of the audience immersing themselves in the film’s quiet world. “It was deeply moving and remains one of the most unforgettable moments of my career.”

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Her preparation for the role introduced her to the world of Yoshiharu Tsuge, the manga author who inspired the film. Reading scenes from the Seaside and Master Ben of the Honyara Cave, she was struck by their unspoken depths. “His stories often reveal the depths of human nature as well as the mysterious connections formed between people,” she explains. Miyake’s direction, she feels, preserves that spirit while also shaping it into his own cinematic language, which “encourages us to reflect on what kind of ‘protagonist’ each of us is in our own lives”.

For Shim, her character Lee was a kind of mirror for the audience, through whom they could see themselves. To convey that, she emphasised “space” and “resonance”, simply existing within the frame to allow meaning to linger. It was an approach nurtured by Miyake himself, whose directing style she describes with admiration. “On the first day of filming, he said to all of us, ‘A film is something we all create together.’” His ability to draw out each actor’s “unique aura and individuality,” by seeing what actors want to express and reshaping it to fit the film, she says, often left her amazed.

Navy bolero jacket, white cotton shirt, navy flared trousers and white shearling shoes, all by Kimhekim

As for what she hopes audiences take away from the film, Shim resists offering a single interpretation. Instead, she hopes it reminds people of the power of the cinema itself. “There is definitely an appeal to film that can only be felt in a cinema,” she insists, from the landscapes unfolding on the screen to the delicacy of the sound. More than anything, she hopes to share that experience.

Looking forward, Shim is open to projects from any country, as long as the role is right, and wishes to keep challenging herself across genres. “I would love to one day work on a silent film, since that’s where cinema first began.” Another aspiration is to “do a project like Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave — something that allows me to reflect deeply on love and longing”. She says she still has much to build and learn as an actor. “Perhaps that will be the case for my entire life. All I can do is carry out each day’s work with sincerity. That is the only thing I can do.”

This interview is inside The CINEMA Issue 15. Purchase your copy here.

Black multi zip jacket and grey boucle trousers with leather trim, both by WE11DONE. T-shirts and cardigan, stylist’s own