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Squid Game " star Jung Ho-yeon said that her role has changed her outlook on life. - The series was the debut role for the Korean model who has been on the cover of Vogue.
- She told The Times of London that the show taught her to "have faith in humanity."
"Squid Game" star Jung Ho-yeon said that her role in the hit
"Squid Game," which the director Hwang Dong-hyuk explained to Variety was inspired by "Battle Royale" comics, follows the multiple contestants who take part in a series of children's games with deadly spins in order to win enough money to get rid of their debts. Ho-yeon's debut role was in the new series as a pickpocket who defected from North Korea called Kang Sae-byeok.
"Korea achieved economic development in a short span of time, which is why competition can be more intense here than in other countries," Ho-yeon said when speaking to The Times about the success of her first role. "I used to be a person who focused on personal benefit, but after playing this character who puts her family before herself, and seeing her life hold a lot of meaning, I'd like to trust people more and help them out. The most powerful lesson I learnt was to have faith in humanity."
The Korean actress was already a successful model who has starred in the fourth season of "Korea's Next Top Model" and had been on the cover of Vogue. However, "Squid Game" launched her to new heights. NME reported that the model-turned-actress is now the most followed South Korean actress on Instagram with over 13 million followers.
The series' main actors Lee Jung-jae (Seong Gi-hun) and Park Hae-soo (Cho Sang-woo) also recently joined Instagram after the buzz of the "Squid Game."
"Squid Game" is the first South Korean show to top the US charts for Netflix and Variety reported that the co-CEO of Netflix Ted Sarandos said the show could be the platform's most-watched show ever. Variety reported that Sarandos said that the success of the show surprised even those at Netflix.
There is currently no confirmation on whether the series will get a second season however the show's creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told Variety that he would bring in multiple writers and experienced directors for the second season. He also said in an interview with The Times that he would like to explore the story of The Frontman (Lee Byung-hun) if the show had a second season. The Frontman was the ex-cop who turned out to be the mastermind of the games.