Actor Park Shin-yang pushed through severe back pain during the run of the stage play Paris’s Lover at Baekjiyeon Theater, refusing to miss a single performance even after suffering a herniated disc.
The Injury Strikes Mid-Performance
During the premiere show, Park encountered a herniated disc after a scene involving a money bag prop struck him forcefully. Despite intense pain, he continued performing, later explaining that theater demands live execution without the option for reshoots available in filmed dramas.
“If injured during filming, you can reshoot, but in live theater, you push forward,” Park stated. He received treatment but returned to the stage on crutches, recreating the painful moment to maintain authenticity.
Gritting Through the Pain
Park described living with constant agony, walking to the theater from his nearby accommodation. “Even in that pivotal Episode 4 transformation scene, I endured excruciating pain just to reach the stage,” he revealed.
The actor emphasized the scene’s importance: “Episode 4’s change drives the entire play forward, demanding perfection. What should have felt like ’emerging straight’ turned into a numb, spine-tingling ordeal.”
With no time for the standard three-week recovery, Park gritted his teeth: “I performed through it all. Even slamming into walls brought no sensation—just numbness.”
A Decade of Dedication
The injury persisted for 10 years, mirroring a grueling 30-minute harbor sequence in the play. “That torment lasted a decade. Now, revisiting it stirs anxiety, especially after failing to complete a run in 2013,” Park shared with the production team.
He motivated himself: “Am I alright? Regardless, I must deliver it with even more passion.” Fully immersing in the homeless character’s grim reality, Park channeled raw emotion, extending the play’s run by 200 performances over 13 years.
“Others self-censor or rehearse stylistically to enter the mood, but I’ve never done that—I’m the type who feels it instantly,” he explained. “I carried a mindset of ‘bite down the pain and say nothing.'”
Park aims to convey the play’s full intensity: “I’m executing the narrative precisely, heightening the threat of starvation to captivate audiences.”
