Four years have passed since the first season of Arthdal Chronicles ended on an uncertain note, but in the mythical k-drama land of Arth time seems to pass more quickly. When the second season finally aired in 2023, eight long years had passed in Arth, much of that time spent waging war and conquering neighboring lands. Not only had the characters been transformed by the years of war, but due to the real-life delay between seasons, some of the original stars could not return to play those characters.
In the second season Shin Se-kyung took on the challenge of playing Tan-ya, the nation’s spiritual leader, a role previously played by Kim Ji-won. To deliver a seamless portrayal of Tan-ya, Shin studied her character carefully, watching the first season of the Studio Dragon drama and imagining how the difficult years between changed Tan-ya and the world of Arth. Tan-ya has many special abilities that draw the faithful, including her ability to hear the unspoken suffering of others.
“In season two, Tan-ya has come a long way from where she started,” said Shin. “She’s grown into a person of majesty and strength who can stand up to Ta-gon and Tae Al-ha. “But because Tan-ya envisions a different world than they do, I felt I needed to approach her majesty with a different grain of salt. I approached her as a character who has gathered the hearts of her people to form a great power, just as small streams of water gather to form an ocean.”
Tan-ya may be loved by her people but she’s wary of the kingdom’s rulers, Ta-gon, played by Jang Dong-gun, and Tae Al-ha, played by Kim Ok-bin. Tan-ya was born to be the next Great Mother of the Wahan tribe, but she had to watch Arthdal’s warriors kill and enslave her tribe before they recognized her own destiny as the kingdom’s spiritual leader. It was prophesied that she was one of three people who would transform Arth.
“The direction that the Children of Prophecy must follow is predetermined, and the path that belongs to Tan-ya, as part of her destiny, remains unchanged,” said Shin. “Throughout season two, Tan-ya has also demonstrated her determination to do what needs to be done in the face of adversity. Tan-ya’s conversation with her father, Yeol-son in episode seven shows her strong desire to move on to a world where she doesn’t have to fight. Or when she convinces Eun-seom to become an Inaishingi and an Aramun. The writer once said that our story begins in the realm of prophecy and mythology, but in the end, it’s the human will that fulfills it, and I think it’s meaningful that the characters in season two have a strong will to live for the world they dream of.”
It’s hard to imagine Tan-ya in a modern setting, but Shin tried. No matter who she was or when she lived, Tan-ya would be someone who “connected with people,” thought Shin, and perhaps also connected them. Shin’s favorite part of working on the drama was being able to learn from her character and from the drama’s other characters throughout the shoot.
“ It was great to be able to think about things that I would normally have a hard time thinking about in my day-to-day life through this drama,” said Shin. “And the most memorable scene was the ending of episode four. First of all, the dialog was not easy, and I had to think a lot about how to deliver it, so I think it was even more memorable because it was a scene that overturned people’s long-standing prejudices, so there was a lot of pressure to do it well. I remember watching the ending of episode four and feeling very excited as a viewer, also I think the viewers enjoyed it as well, so I felt really good.”
Shin began acting as a child, appearing on a popular children’s show, and has since appeared in quite a few dramas, including Deep Rooted Tree, Six Flying Dragons, When A Man Falls In Love, The Bride of Habaek, Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung and Run On.
The first season of Studio Dragon’s Arthdal Chronicles aired on Netflix, but the second season airs on Disney/Hulu. The drama was screened internationally before airing on Hulu in the U.S.
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