‘Squid Game’ Star Hoyeon Jung Reveals Important Lesson from Fame

Netflix's "Squid Game" dominated the scene when it was released in 2021. The series was and still is a top-rated K-drama. It ticked off many firsts because of its spellbinding storyline about how playground games were twisted into a deadly competition for money.

In addition to introducing some firsts to the Korean movie industry, the series put some new stars under the limelight. Hoyeon Jung is one model turned actress whose talent shone in the series. She played the role of Kang Sae-byeok, who joined the game to win the cash prize and bring her family over from North Korea.

Fans couldn't get enough of her acting and portrayal of her character, so the actress blew up shortly after the series was released. Jung's Instagram followers increased from 400k followers to a whopping 20.5 million. The actress recently revealed that her sudden rise to fame taught her a crucial lesson.

Many actors transition from modeling to acting, and Jung is apparently one of them. The actress started modeling in her teens and was even on "Korea's Next Top Model" in 2013. Besides her home country, Jung walked runways in U.S and Europe for popular brands like Louis Vuitton, Oscar de la Renta, and Gucci.

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Jung talked about how her transition to acting was because she was worried that her modeling career was dying, and she wanted something to do when she stopped getting gigs.

She said, "Back then, it was only one of the options that I was considering, and I wasn't really serious about it, but as I started my career overseas, I had a lot of alone time in airplanes, hotels… and I had nothing to do but watch movies, Netflix series, or read books."

Jung added, "I felt that urge to express myself on screen." The former model started taking acting classes, and it wasn't long before she bagged her first role in "Squid Games."

Jung's fame was quite sudden, so the actress is taking her time adjusting and picking things up along the way. She recently appeared on the cover of Vogue, and in the interview, she talked about an important lesson she learned in her career.

The actress talked about the highs and lows of her career, and when she was at the low period, she tried to improve herself through different routes. Jung said she did things like "learning English, training her posture and voice, broadening her worldview through art and film."

She revealed, "Getting farther away from other people's gaze let me find what I wanted again and gave me time to study it," she shared. "What's important in life is not when your career is up, but when your career is down and how you spend that time. That's something I learned."

While many actors want fame, it has made and broken plenty, especially when it is really new. Jung apparently doesn't plan on taking that route as she shared just how she's handling her newfound popularity.

The newly minted actress told Teen Vogue that she never expected to be this famous but would try to remain as grounded as she could with the help of people close to her.

"I never expected this sort of thing to happen, so I think the biggest emotion that I'm feeling is that I just can't believe it. What I'm trying to do is I'm trying to see people that are very close to me so that I can stay [grounded] and I don't get carried away because of this," she said.

As of October 2021, Jung had around 20.5 million Instagram followers, making her the most followed Korean actress on Instagram. Her follower count doesn't just look good; it also adds a lot of money to the actress's bank account.

With her growing influence on social media, Jung is bagging several thousand dollars per sponsored post. She is reportedly earning around $43,000 per sponsored post and is the highest earner on Instagram from the "Squid Game" cast.

While the actress won't be in the second season of "Squid Game," she won't have any problems getting acting roles. Jung's fame and obvious talent will definitely lead to more K-drama roles in hopefully the near future.