Shin Min-a says she would handle betrayal the way her character does — with her dignity intact and a new love in sight. Asked what she would do if she faced the same situation as Empress Navier in Disney+‘s “The Remarried Empress,” the actress said she would “first keep [her] dignity and choose a new love,” in a new Elle Korea interview released on November 5.
The interview appeared on Elle Korea’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, under a title asking what Shin Min-a first thought when she received the script for “The Remarried Empress.” In it, she looked back at her first read of the script — before she had even opened the original web novel — and admitted her first reaction was simply, “What is this?” The script, she said, was a kind of writing she had never encountered before, and it left her working out how to build and shoot a world she had never imagined.
Shin Min-a spoke warmly about Navier, calling her “a very progressive and self-directed woman” and saying the moment the empress chooses her own life for herself was what made the character so appealing to her. She urged viewers to watch the series, noting that romance fantasy is a genre many people love and that “The Remarried Empress” is the first of its kind to be adapted into live action. “Honestly, the fun is guaranteed,” she said, adding that she has heard many more romance fantasies will follow in its wake and that she hopes the series does well “in many ways.”
The interview also turned to the marriage at the center of the story. Shin Min-a said she could not understand Sovieshu, the emperor played by Ju Ji-hoon: he had promised since childhood that he would never take a concubine, then broke that promise in an instant. That broken vow, she explained, is what forces Navier into the choice that drives the story — and when the interviewer asked what Shin Min-a herself would do in Navier’s place, her answer was direct: she would keep her dignity and choose a new love.
In the series, Navier is the perfect empress of the Eastern Empire until her husband, Emperor Sovieshu, falls for Rashta, played by Lee Se-young, a runaway slave, and tells Navier he wants a divorce. Rather than accept it quietly, Navier demands approval to remarry Prince Heinrey, played by Lee Jong-suk, of the Western Kingdom — a bargain that sets up the love triangle and court intrigue at the heart of the show.
“The Remarried Empress” premiered on Disney+ on November 3 with its first four episodes, a day earlier than originally planned after a warm response at the Busan International Film Festival. The 10-episode series continues with two new episodes each Wednesday. The adaptation arrives with a large built-in audience: the original webtoon had recorded about 2.97 billion views worldwide as of July. Early signs have been strong — the series rose to No. 1 on Disney+ Korea’s series chart the day after its premiere and earned a place on The New York Times’ November must-watch list.
At the production presentation in Seoul on November 3, Shin Min-a said she had joined the project because the script felt both familiar and new, and because Navier offered her a side of herself she had not shown before. She also admitted the role came with pressure: Navier’s emotions as an empress could not shift too visibly, yet she also had to show the character as a human being falling in love again — and viewers, she said, would only root for Navier if that emotional journey landed.
With new episodes arriving each Wednesday, Shin Min-a’s remarks land just as viewers are watching Navier weigh the same choice on screen — dignity first, and a new love on her own terms.
