[Limelight] Fierce Competition for Kang Saebyeok Role "They Chose Me Because My Eyes Look Like a Wild Horse"

'Squid Game' Actress Jung Ho-yeon Plans New Career During Model Hiatus
Praised for Expression Mixing Equal Parts Relief and Fear... Depicts Human Nature

In the Netflix drama "Squid Game," Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) dyes his hair red. He reveals a solemn determination as he vows a new beginning. Actress Jung Ho-yeon, who played Kang Sae-byeok in "Squid Game," also once dyed her hair red. It was when she was rising as a model after finishing as the runner-up on "Korea's Next Top Model." Although she was active domestically, she longed for a bigger stage. She underwent a transformation ahead of her overseas debut. The red hair became a stepping stone for a new leap. It became her trademark as she worked as a model for Louis Vuitton City Exclusive (a show held in one city where a model only walks for a specific brand) and other activities.

Jung Ho-yeon never settles. She believes that one cannot develop if they cling to complacency. During breaks from modeling, she studied various fields and planned a new career path. The profession she dreamed of was acting. She took acting classes in Korea for a month and signed with the actor-specialized management company, Saram Entertainment. Returning to New York, she prepared for Fashion Week and practiced acting whenever she had time. Less than a month later, she received an audition offer for "Squid Game." It was for the role of Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector who even resorts to pickpocketing to raise money for her parents' defection. She had to film and send a scene expressing her remorse toward her younger brother, who defected with her. Jung Ho-yeon stayed up for three nights straight to understand the life of a defector.

"The character lives for her family. Despite difficult circumstances, she tries hard to hold onto her wavering younger brother. To express that feeling, I first had to understand what had happened before. I imagined the backstory not described in the script and wrote a diary. I wrote as if it were my own memory about the moment holding my brother’s hand crossing through China to Korea and the daily life where I had no choice but to pickpocket to survive in Korea. As I got closer to Sae-byeok, I realized I couldn’t easily utter a single line. I understood that all acting requires preparation time."

Many actresses vied for the role of Kang Sae-byeok. Rumors spread among management companies that the role could be the biggest beneficiary of "Squid Game," and multiple auditions were held. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk chose Jung Ho-yeon, who had no prior acting experience. He said, "From her appearance to her voice, she was the Sae-byeok I had imagined," and "I hoped her fresh charm would appear just like the real Sae-byeok." Jung Ho-yeon recalled, "He said my eyes looked like a wild horse and liked it. He said he felt a strong will to live. He said he saw the determination to definitely achieve my goals. Especially after the 'Mugunghwa flower has bloomed' game, he praised me a lot in the bust shot."

It is the scene where she slowly lifts her face shadowed by her hair and looks up at the sky. Her gaze is no longer fierce as before. It is half relief and half fear. Jung Ho-yeon later skillfully applied this in scenes to highlight both the cruelty of the Squid Game and human nature simultaneously. This was the biggest challenge given to her from the start. Kang Sae-byeok does not blend well with other characters. There is little interaction between the roles, so there are not many reactions. Instead, she builds dimensionality through facial expressions, showing a heavy presence. The highlight is the scene in the bathroom where she removes glass shards embedded in her body. It is the only time she fully reveals her pain.

"It was the most difficult to act. Before filming, I couldn’t even swallow food. It was a scene where I could show Kang Sae-byeok without any embellishment, so I wanted to do well. But the moment I entered the bathroom, tears came. No matter how hard I tried to hold them back, they wouldn’t stop. At that moment, I think I became Kang Sae-byeok."

The driving force that overcame technical difficulties was sincerity. The more she immersed herself in the role by understanding the life of a defector, the clearer Kang Sae-byeok’s image became. Her distinctive personality still retains vitality that defies the passage of time. She has been crying more than usual. She even gives answers in everyday conversations that Kang Sae-byeok might say. For Jung Ho-yeon, each moment is a precious experience. "It’s a pleasant aftereffect. I still have many shortcomings. I want to experience various things and take one step at a time. This is just the beginning."