'Hope' star Jung Ho-yeon hopes to tame her 'wild horse' energy

For some actors, appearing in a global hit that turned them into a household name would mean rushing into the next big project before the limelight fades. Not for Jung Ho-yeon, the breakout star of “Squid Game” (2021–25), Netflix’s most watched series of all time — and her first acting project ever.

“After ‘Squid Game,’ I think I was overwhelmed by a lot of anxiety and fear. I was so grateful for the enormous attention and response, which I never could have imagined, but at the same time, as Jung Ho-yeon the person, I also felt taken aback," the model and actor said at a roundtable interview in Seoul on Wednesday. 

“I was caught up in all these emotions I couldn’t quite understand, so instead of rushing to make a decision in that state, I think I wanted to give myself some time," she said. “I spent time at home trying to get my biorhythm back — looking at my phone less so I could sleep better, going out to exercise and run, things like that. Getting myself back into my own rhythm.”

Five years later, after supporting and guest roles in TV shows and an appearance in a NewJeans music video, Jung makes her feature film debut in the sci-fi action thriller “Hope."

Just like with "Squid Game," the movie has already made a big splash. It premiered in competition for the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival; is reportedly Korea’s most expensive film to date and has set domestic records for international distribution rights; and became the fastest film this year to top advance ticket sales, positioning it as one of the country’s biggest summer blockbuster.

In “Hope,” Jung plays Sung-ae, a rookie police officer who helps the residents of a small harbor village fight extraterrestrial creatures. After bursting onto the screen with the screech of car brakes, her spirited, justice-driven character shoots guns, races some more and lets loose torrents of profanity in a performance that has drawn critical praise.

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In the Wednesday interview, Jung was clear about who deserved the credit for her exhilarating entrance: director Na Hong-jin.

“I think film is an art borne from the director. The director is the one who places each character where they need to be, so I don’t think I ever felt it was my place, as an individual actor, to have a separate opinion on that.”

Her first appearance alone — from the moment Sung-ae steps out of the car to before she gets back in — took two days to film, with multiple angles, insert shots and more than 18 takes, as Jung remembers it, or more than 20, as Na recalls.

“When I was still physically fresh, I could go through the motions perfectly in the exact image [he wanted],” Jung said. “But after a person goes through more than 20 takes, you stop planning or thinking as much. You end up working more on instinct.” 

She also took pointers from Na on Sung-ae being symbolic of humanity's "goodwill," and overall, she enjoyed working with the director, who is notorious for being meticulous, as well as with veteran actors Hwang Jung-min and Zo In-sung. 

Such an attitude on set and approach to choosing projects have been present since “Squid Game.” Rather than immediately taking on roles that would require her to carry an entire project on her own, Jung said she looked for work that would allow her to be surrounded by more experienced actors and filmmakers. 

That led her to Alfonso Cuarón and Cate Blanchett in the Apple TV+ series “Disclaimer” (2024), and to a special appearance in the Netflix series “Chicken Nugget” (2024) directed by Lee Byeong-heon and starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Ahn Jae-hong.

“All of my directors are incredibly detail-oriented and persistent,” Jung said. “They do a lot of takes. But they are also directors who take responsibility for the results, so as a new actor, I feel I have been given such honorable and grateful opportunities.”

Looking ahead, Jung said she hopes to become an actor with more precision and control — something she began to think about after hearing the same description from the directors behind her leading projects: Hwang Dong-hyuk of “Squid Game,” Na of “Hope” and Kim Jee-woon of the upcoming film “The Hole.”

"Fascinatingly, [they] all said the same thing — that  I was like a wild horse," Jung said.

“At first, I wondered if that was a weakness,” she said. “That kind of energy and force can be a good thing for an actor, but I also wanted to become someone who can build a performance with more detail and intention.”

Watching Hwang Jung-min — a prolific actor whose career spans from 1990 —  in “Hope” was a lesson in that, Jung said. After the film screened at Cannes, she asked Hwang and Na how she could reach that level.

Their advice was “not to try to be good,” Jung said.

She understood that to mean that depth and instinct are things that build over time and have to be absorbed naturally into the body.

“At this stage, the more I try to make something, express something or show something, the more burdensome it might feel to the audience,” Jung said. “So for now, I think I just need to experience more projects naturally and keep going.”

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]