Photo: Harley Weir
Hoyeon Jung was met with overnight success afterSquid Gamedebuted on Netflix in September — but navigating that newfound fame has proved to be an adjustment.
InVogue’s February 2022 cover story, the 27-year-old model-turned-actress said her “entire life changed in just one month” after the Korean survival thriller premiered.
Becoming famous has also had some negative repercussions on Jung. According to the publication, she managed to lose eight pounds.
“I don’t know why, but I couldn’t eat,” she said. “I was so confused, and it was so chaotic. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t trust it.”
As her celebrity grew, Jung was able to rely on her family to help keep her grounded. “My mom did joke that my acting was very realistic, like when I’m being mean to her,” she said, adding a laugh.
“My younger sister never really took an interest in my career,” the star added. “She just thinks of me as her older sibling, so when she told me that my acting was ‘not that bad’ inSquid Game,I was quite surprised.”
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Getting her role onSquid Gamewas no easy feat either. During the audition process, Jung left her New York City residence at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to participate in a callback.
“I didn’t even have time to pack my things,” she recalled. “I had to leave my Balmuda oven and a brand-newnaembi[pot].”
Squid Gamewas a massive hit for Netflix. After its premiere this past fall, it broke the streaming service’s record for the biggest series debut. (Bridgertonpreviouslyheld the title.)
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The success ofSquid Gamehas naturally sparked discussions about future seasons. While series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk previously said the show’s first season “could be good closure for the whole story,” he also is aware it “ended in an open-ended way.”
Noh Juhan/Netflix
“There are some other stories in the series that have not been addressed. For example, the story of the police officer and the story of his brother, The Front Man,” he toldThe Hollywood Reporterin October. “So if I end up creating season 2, I’d like to explore that storyline — what is going on between those two brothers? And then I could also go into the story of that recruiter in the suit who plays the game of ddakji with Gi-hun and gives him the card in the first episode.”
The director added, “And, of course, we could go with Gi-hun’s story as he turns back, and explore more about how he’s going to navigate through his reckoning with the people who are designing the games.”
Dong-hyuk recently said he’sin the process of creating season 2.
“So there’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season,” he said in November to theAssociated Pressin Korean, according toForbes' translation. “So I almost feel like you leave us no choice! But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now.”
source: people.com
