'Watched 3 Idiots': Squid Game actor Jung Hoyeon wants to work in Bollywood

Jung Hoyeon. Pic via AFP

South Korean actor and model Jung Hoyeon is ready to explore Indian cinema. Ahead of the India release of her sci-fi thriller Hope, the Squid Game star revealed that visiting India has long been on her bucket list and that she would happily consider a Bollywood project.

Jung Hoyeon on working in Indian cinema

"I have never visited India, but it's been on my bucket list of trips to make. I have watched 3 Idiots. I would love to be part of an Indian project; please call me, but you would have to teach me dancing," she said in an interaction with HT City.

Hoyeon, who won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2022 for Squid Game and earned an Emmy nomination, makes her feature film debut with Hope. Directed by Na Hong-jin, the film also stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Taylor Russell, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.

In Hope, Hoyeon plays rookie police officer Sung Ae, who faces an alien invasion in her quiet seaside town. The actor said working with director Na was a major reason she signed the film. "I have been a huge fan of director Na's work. When I read the script, I felt Sung Ae had this very magnetic appeal; you cannot deny her presence at all," she said.

Preparing for the role involved six months of firearms training, driving practice and weight training. Hoyeon also spoke about overcoming her initial insecurities as an actor. "When I started working as an actor, I had a lot of insecurity and anxiety because I was so new to it all, but this was the first time that the joy of working overcame the fear," she said.

The actor added that action sequences offered a different kind of freedom, partly because of her modelling background and her comfort with expressing herself through movement.

From Squid Game to theatre

Hoyeon said she hopes to keep challenging herself with projects that offer new experiences, including a possible stint in theatre next year. She has also worked with Cate Blanchett in Alfonso Cuaron's psychological miniseries Disclaimer.

While she considers the global audience when choosing projects, the actor said she increasingly feels free to follow stories that resonate with her. "I just try my best to choose projects that move my heart, and when I choose one, I work as though it's my last project every time," she said.

Hoyeon's Hope, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, releases in India on October 23.