Jung Ho-yeon looks ‘within’ to stay grounded after Squid Game success
MANILA, Philippines — Jung Ho-yeon has her feet planted on the ground even with her quick rise to fame as an international actress.
For the South Korean star, looking within herself has maintained her disposition in life, especially after her award-winning performance in the widely-successful Netflix Original series, Squid Game.
On Nov. 11, Ho-yeon was nothing but sincere when she spoke to the Filipino media during the press conference for her first-ever fan meeting in the Philippines, which was organized by Wilbros Live and network marketing company IAM Worldwide. It was previously announced that the actress has been tapped by IAM Worldwide as its brand ambassador.
The model-turned-actress told The Philippine STAR that “staying grounded” in the midst of her career taking off has been one of her top priorities.
“It’s something that I put a lot of thought into and I make a lot of effort to keep myself grounded. I think that it’s really about taking some time for myself and getting alone time because I need to understand what is happening, what is this experience I’m having, and what are the feelings that I’m feeling,” she said.
Being well-grounded for Ho-yeon is not a trait that is achieved through heavy planning but rather, it’s a chance to become in touch with what’s inside her.
She explained: “It’s really just about giving myself that mental space and emotional space just to be by myself and to process it, and then go from there.”
After being part of Netflix’s most-watched non-English language series of all time, the 28-year-old already has a roster of upcoming projects her fans can watch out for, such as Disclaimer, an Apple+ TV series; The Governesses, a film from production house A24; and an undisclosed project with Netflix Korea.
When asked about her dream role, Ho-yeon admitted she has become “greedy” with what to take on next.
“Maybe it’s because I’m greedy but I wanna try all kinds of genres and I wanna play all kinds of characters and so I don’t really have an answer to that particular question right now but I just want to explore and do different things,” she shared.
Behind her appetite for adventures of all things acting is a meticulous artist who takes not just two, but three tries to get to know a prospective role.
Ho-yeon described her process: “I like to take my time to get to know this character because in my experience, the first time I meet this character, the second time, the third time — the experience is different.”
Just moments before her fan meet on Friday at New Frontier Theater in Araneta City, Ho-yeon expressed her gratitude to her Filipino fans whom she described as her second biggest group of followers on social media.
“I always thought I would really like to go to the Philippines and meet my Filipino fans because I am so grateful for all of the support,” said Ho-yeon.
The international star has previously stepped foot in the Philippines for her “personal leisure,” but the fan meet was her first time to travel all the way to the country for a work trip, she revealed.
In her search for lasting memories during this milestone for her and her Filipino supporters, Ho-yeon candidly shared how she would like to remember this trip.
“I would really like to see a lot of things. The Korean expression is that I would contain a lot of things in my eyes so I want to see many different things, whether that’s a place I’m going to or a restaurant. I’m taking lots of pictures… to save those memories.”
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