Former Models Turned Actresses on the Rise

From 400,000 to 20 million. Jung Ho-yeon, who played a North Korean defector in the Netflix original series "Squid Game", is getting more and more followers every day. The figure also confirms the global popularity of "Squid Game" and shows great interest in Jung Ho-yeon.

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Jung Ho-yeon has been a model for world-class brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel since she appeared on SBS's "Challenge Super Model Korea" She stayed early last year to participate in the New York Fashion Week and was cast in the "Squid Game", transforming into an actress and quickly reaching stardom. It is considered the greatest achievement of a former model actress.

However, there are others who are firmly strengthening their status as actors with their performances. Jang Yoon-ju and Lee Zoo-young are shining as models-turned-actresses who cannot be left out.

Jang Yoon-ju debuted in 1997 and has been considered a representative model in Korea. She is also the main character who transformed the atmosphere in which Western images were in the spotlight into an era of strong oriental appearance. Then, she made her acting debut in 2015 with the movie "Veteran" which was imprinted on the audience as another appearance.

Director Ryoo Seung-wan, the director of "Veteran", appeared on MBC's "Infinity Challenge" in 2014 and said he casted her with a high score on her 'smartness' saying, "She pretended to be bad at acting and acted badly". As evidenced by this, Jang Yoon-ju is recognized for her talent enough to be nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Asian Film Awards last year as a part of "Three Sisters". She is currently playing the lead role in "One Win".

Lee Zoo-young, a model and graduate of Dongdeok Women's University, made her acting debut in 2015 with the short film "The Ransom". The following year, Lee Zoo-young also won the Asiana International Short Film Festival's 'the Face of Short Films' and the great short Film Festival's 'Great Actor Award' through films that received considerable awards at the Busan International Short Film Festival and the Mise-en-Scene Short Film Festival. Since then, she has made a stronger impression with the 2018 movie "Believer" and she has had an opportunity to expand her public domain with the tvN drama "Live".

"I got into acting while appearing in an exhibition video of an artist", she said, opening her way by taking an audition. She also helped the success of the movie "On the Line" which is currently being screened and is starring in "One Win" with Jang Yoon-ju.

The power of these models comes from naturalness. Director Lee Chung-hyun, who made his talent known in a Netflix movie "The Call" last year, ruled in favor of 'Lee Zoo-young's seemingly bad acting'. It is the same reason why "Veteran" coach Ryoo Seung-wan chose Jang Yoon-ju. The expression of various facial expressions and gestures learned through modeling activities is also helpful to these actresses.

Due to the nature of models, where physical conditions such as height and body are an important factor in activities, it is also the background of a series of model-turned-actors to seek to natural 'full-time jobs' as they get older. Jung Ho-yeon said, "I was thinking about what to do once my modeling heydays are over", adding, "While watching books and movies, I thought I wanted to express that, so I took acting lessons".