Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon takes on Hollywood with prestige drama Disclaimer (2024)

LOS ANGELES – South Korean model Jung Ho-yeon had zero acting experience when she appeared in 2021’s Squid Game, the South Korean dystopian survival drama that became Netflix’s most-watched series of all time.

But her tough-as-nails Player 067, Sae-byeok – a young woman who escapes from North Korea and takes part in a deadly competition so she can afford to reunite her family – became a fan favourite.

And now Jung, 30, is taking on Hollywood with roles in several big projects, the first being the new psychological thriller Disclaimer, in which she shares scenes with Oscar winner Cate Blanchett.

Available on Apple TV+, the series is set in London and follows a respected journalist, Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett), as she receives a novel from an unknown author and realises it could expose a devastating secret.

In her first English-speaking role, Jung plays Catherine’s assistant Jisoo – and the actress tells The Straits Times she learnt a lot from her 55-year-old Australian co-star, who won Academy Awards for the comedy-drama Blue Jasmine (2013) and biopic The Aviator (2004).

“For example, I learnt about professionalism,” says Jung through an interpreter over Zoom.

“There can be unexpected situations on set, but whatever happens, she is very consistent in her attitude, I think because of her strong mentality.

“And I learnt from Cate that it is very important to have that because it’s necessary to maintain your concentration on set,” she adds.

Jung has been modelling since age 16, including for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Fendi. She was also runner-up on the fourth season of reality show Korea’s Next Top Model in 2013.

In 2025, she will appear in her first feature film, Hope – a Korean- and English-language thriller in which she has top billing in a cast that includes South Korean star Hwang Jung-min, as well as Hollywood A-listers Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

She will also appear alongside French-American starlet Lily-Rose Depp and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve in upcoming drama movie The Governesses.

All this has required dramatic improvements to her English, which she first studied at school in Seoul and then practised while modelling internationally.

But Jung remains self-conscious about her fluency, although she occasionally interrupts the translator to reply in flawless English – for instance, when offering this reporter a recommendation for good Korean barbecue in London.

“I have this insecurity about speaking in English,” says the star, who is dating South Korean actor-singer Lee Dong-hwi, 39. “I have a long way to go and still have a lot to learn.”

For Disclaimer, she practised with a dialogue coach, but the show’s writer-director – Mexican film-maker and five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron, who helmed the dramas Gravity (2013) and Roma (2018) – insisted she retain her Korean accent.

“He thought that was much more realistic because the character had lived for a long time in South Korea and then moved to London for work,” she says.

The tragic fate of Sae-byeok in Season 1 of Squid Game means Jung will not return for the long-awaited second season, which premieres on Netflix on Dec 26.

But she says she will be tuning in eagerly, just like millions of other fans.

“I have high expectations, but I trust director Hwang (Dong-hyuk) has done good work. And I hope a lot of people will be watching Squid Game Season 1 again.”

Jung has also stayed in touch with many of the returning cast. She recently had tea with Kim Joo-ryoung (who played the manipulative Mi-nyeo), and dinner with Lee Jung-jae (protagonist Gi-hun) and Lee Yoo-mi (Sae-byeok’s ally Ji-yeong).

“So it’s a very special bond among us.”

And the legacy of the show continues to be felt all over the world.

“Many of my American friends watch a lot of television series produced by Netflix Korea, and sometimes they watch them before I do,” Jung says.

“And there are so many good directors in South Korea receiving more attention because of the show, so I’m very grateful.”

• Disclaimer is available on Apple TV+.