K-Drama Actress Remembers Being Slapped During Filming and Crying Quietly

Park Shin Hye shocked fans by revealing the harsh reality of her early days as a child actress.

On the January 30 broadcast of SBS’s variety show Grumpty Secretary, she shared raw memories from her 24-year career.

Park said she often cried in secret after getting scolded on set.

“I got scolded a lot. I cried secretly. I’d go behind and cry, wipe my tears secretly, and come back out. I even cried by the Han River.”
— Park Shin Hye

Her mother also appeared on the show, recalling a brutal scene from the 2003 drama Stairway to Heaven where young Park was slapped repeatedly.

The scene had Park getting slapped 30 times at age 13. Her mother said she stopped watching the drama after that moment.

“When I saw the script, I knew there was a scene where she gets slapped. After seeing her actually get hit, I stopped watching ‘Stairway to Heaven’ right then and there. I still don’t watch it now.”
— Park Shin Hye’s mother

Park never told her family about what happened during filming. The managers revealed the truth to her mother later.

“It wasn’t until much later that her managers told me about what happened in that situation. It was incredibly heartbreaking.”
— Park Shin Hye’s mother

The director admitted to how “brutal” the shoot was for Park. Despite being scolded frequently, Park never cried in front of others, hiding her tears instead.

“She would go into the bathroom, cry it out, and come back on set.”
— Park Shin Hye’s mother

When Lee Seo Jin commented that Park shouldn’t have worked with that director, her mother said Park was able to succeed thanks to those experiences.

Park Shin Hye also recently opened up about her father’s serious health issues, breaking down in tears on camera.