Exclusive Interview
‘The Remarried Empress’: Shin Min-a Explains Navier’s Feelings for Emperor Sovieshu
The Remarried Empress, based on a mega-popular fantasy web novel of the same name, sets up a complicated dynamic for its titular character (Shin Min-a) and her emperor husband, Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon). When Sovieshu unexpectedly takes runaway slave Rashta (Lee Se-young) as his mistress, complicated feelings arise for Navier. (Warning: Spoilers for The Remarried Empress ahead!)
Navier feels betrayed by Sovieshu — but does that feeling come out of love for her husband? In a joint interview with her three costars, Shin explained Navier’s feelings for her husband as she grapples with their new reality. “In fact, there had never been an emperor who didn’t take a mistress, and it isn’t something that should never happen,” the actress told Swooon.
Though Navier and Sovieshu’s marriage was arranged from a young age, their mutual agreement that Sovieshu would never take a mistress throws their dynamic into disarray when it does actually happen. In Episode 3, Navier wonders if she’s ever truly felt love before. She’d never considered the question of if she romantically loves her husband before, and she was never certain if Sovieshu loved her. Until now, he never gave her reason to question it.
“I think she had faith in their relationship, in her relationship with Sovieshu,” Shin added. “Because of that, I think she may have felt an even deeper sense of betrayal by him as a person.”
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While whether she ever really had feelings for Sovieshu remains ambiguous, Navier’s head is turned by Crown Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong Suk) when he arrives for a New Year’s celebration from another kingdom, in the aftermath of Rashta’s own entrance into her life. Little does she know that Heinrey is a shapeshifter, and he’s been visiting Navier in his bird form and giving her comfort while she’s navigating Sovieshu’s betrayal.
Though Navier and Sovieshu aren’t on good terms by the end of the premiere episodes, that’s not the case for longtime costars Shin and Ju, who first worked together on the 2007 TV series The Devil and again for the 2009 rom-com The Naked Kitchen.
“Since we’ve worked on several projects together over many years, there’s a fundamental trust between us, so it felt very comfortable,” Ju said. “From the moment I heard about the casting, to our first meeting and the script reading, it felt really comfortable, and it was the same during filming.”
Shin agreed. “Sovieshu and Navier are characters who have spent a very long time together,” she added. “For us as well, although we hadn’t seen each other in a while, we’ve known each other for a long time, so I thought that might be a point of connection. It was also so nice to see each other again, and we had a lot of fun filming.”
The Remarried Empress, Season 1, Episodes 1-4, Streaming Now, Hulu & Disney+
The Remarried Empress, Season 1, New Episodes Wednesdays, Hulu & Disney+
