JOY of Red Velvet has made her debut as a voice actor with the Korean dub of animated film Stitch Head: The Secret Castle’s Little Monster.

Under her full name Park Soo-young, she plays a lead role as the voice of one of the main characters, the human girl Arabella. The film is intended for children and families, and follows Arabella, an eccentric, genius doctor, as she embarks on adventures with Stitch Head, a small monster she created in the secret castle.

“Arabella is a kind friend who looks at and helps monsters without prejudice,” Joy said at a recent press conference. “That aspect appealed to me. I tried to express Arabella’s bright energy and positive nature through voice alone, and I hope many people will watch it.”

This endeavour marks a new challenge for Park Soo-young, as her first participation in animation voice dubbing. However, it is one that plays to her strengths; JOY was given her stage name for her bright personality and clear voice, which both come through in the role.

JOY has been acting alongside her activities as a member of SM Entertainment’s Red Velvet since 2017, when she made her debut as the female lead in tvN’s music-based television drama The Liar and His Lover. Since then, she has also hosted multiple variety shows and has starred in dramas such as Tempted(2018) and Once Upon a Small Town (2022). She was also cast as the female lead in the series One-of-a-Kind Romance, which will air in November 2026. Each of these projects showcases her success and multi-faceted ability as an actress, while emphasising her growing focus on this aspect of her career.

Many of Park Soo-young’s roles have been in romance films, from musical romances to melodramas to slice-of-life romantic comedies. With a children’s film she takes on an entirely different angle, entering another sphere of acting and opening up more opportunities for the future.

Red Velvet made a full-group comeback on August 3, 2026, with the seasonal mini album Velvet Summer and its title track “Surfin’ Boy.” Now, almost two months on, JOY is in the midst of promotions for the upcoming acting projects she is part of, suggesting a step away from group activities for the time being. Over September, October, and November, members IRENE and SEULGI are holding a tour across Japan as a sub-unit, supporting this suggestion.

Screenings of Stitch Head are taking place in Korea from today, September 30, the film having been released in the U.S. in October 2025 and in the UK in February 2026.