Photo: Noam Galai/Getty
By now, you’ve binged or at least heard ofSquid Game— the Netflix thriller starring Jung Ho-yeon themade historyas the streamer’s “biggest series launch ever” with 111 million viewers.
As the series has become more popular, so has Jung, who is now the most-followed South Korean actress on Instagram, reportedNMEin Oct. 2021, with 13 million fans.
For more on the 2022 SAG Awards, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
Read on to learn everything about the 27-year-old breakout actress, from herTop Modelbeginnings to how she fell into acting, who she’s dating and more.
She competed onKorea’s Next Top Modelin 2013.
Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
She’s a runway regular.
Peter White/WireImage
After her success onTop Model, Jung became booked and busy, appearing in several top fashion magazines and hitting the runway for labels such as Opening Ceremony and Louis Vuitton. She also dyed her hair red, which became her signature.
Most recently, Louis Vuitton announced that they have chosen Jung as their new global Maison Ambassador.
She is a street style star.
Melodie Jeng/Getty
Even off duty, Jung commands the camera with her impeccable style. She often has her photo taken before and after Fashion Week shows. Fans also flocked to watchJung reveal her beauty secretsonVogue, in a video that has more than 10 million views.
She’s been dating actor Lee Dong Hwi since 2016.
The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty
She added, “Since he’s also an actor, he’s a good senior, a good friend, and a good person. He cheers me on a lot, and he worries for me as well. He’s sort of like a dad.”
She’s best friends with BLACKPINK’s Jennie.
HoYeon Jung/Instagram
Close friend and Kpop star Jennie not only sent a coffee truck to the set ofSquid Gameto support Jung, but she also paid a visit and snapped a really cute photo on set.
Landing her role onSquid Gamegave her a lot of anxiety.
Netflix
Her anxiety and nerves continued onto set, until she decided to open up to director Hwang Dong-hyuk about how she felt. She told the outlet, “I think I wanted to feel certain about why he chose me. Then the director said to me, ‘I picked you because you’re already perfect as Sae Byeok.’ That one phrase made me think that even if I’m not that great at acting, it would be problematic if I’m not able to do what I normally can do because of my nervousness and uneasiness, and I was able to overcome it. I also spoke to my seniors a lot while filming. From a certain point on, I didn’t feel uneasy, and I could focus and do my best.”
She’s ready to work hard on her acting career.
source: people.com
