{"id":2149352,"date":"2026-09-17T13:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T10:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2149352"},"modified":"2026-09-17T13:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T10:00:25","slug":"stunt-driving-afternoon-fries-with-hoyeon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2149352","title":{"rendered":"Stunt Driving &amp; Afternoon Fries With Hoyeon"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"LOh page-487355063\">\n<div class=\"cCV\">\n<div class=\"sWr KwQ\">\n<div class=\"SIZ Nx0 M2A\">\n<div class=\"seY o-J\">\n<div class=\"jIi oZY\">\n<p class=\"Stm\">Encounter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"yHO m_R qZj MnQ\">Stunt Driving &amp; Afternoon Fries With Hoyeon<\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"pQX\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"LD0 Cwn\">\n<p>The <em>Squid Game<\/em> actress makes her big screen debut \u2014 and performs all of her own stunts along the way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mLI U4m\">\n<address class=\"Fdy\">\n<div>by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nylon.com\/profile\/sam-tracy-449803537\">Sam Tracy<\/a><\/div>\n<div>Photographs by <span>Eli Wirija<\/span><\/div>\n<\/address>\n<div class=\"DHw\">\n<div><time datetime=\"2026-09-17T13:00:25.035Z\">36 minutes ago<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aSs\">\n<div class=\"vmZ DwG Eir\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/17\/818b3a38\/hoyeon_3222.jpg?w=414&amp;h=620&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=focalpoint&amp;fp-x=0.5013&amp;fp-y=0.4699&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"LSz EdX\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vmZ eqj OtB\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/15\/ed884597\/nylon_encounter-logo_neon-green.svg\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"QVH jU-\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kCE\">\n<div data-adroot=\"true\" class=\"fxL Afg\">\n<p>Hoyeon is on the move \u2014 of course she needs some fuel. \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh, I&#8217;m not so hungry,\u2019 but [now] I&#8217;m eating all the fries,\u201d she says, going in for another handful. We\u2019re meeting for a quick midday pit stop at the Lower East Side\u2019s Corner Bar in the midst of a whirlwind trip just as New York Fashion Week kicks off.<\/p>\n<p>The 32-year-old arrives camera-ready in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton: bootcut blue jeans and a gray knit sweater smartly layered under a quilted leather jacket, much needed in New York\u2019s fickle September weather. Her jet-black hair is neatly tucked back; when she turns her head, the bun, to my surprise, is dyed an electric blue. It\u2019s a striking departure from the dark, blunt bob that became synonymous with Kang Sae-byeok, the stoic North Korean defector she played in <em>Squid Game<\/em>. Naturally, I have to ask.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR CEt\">\n<figure class=\"Qf5 E1M\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:140.0073%\" class=\"vmZ F8Y ap2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/16\/496cdbe1\/hoyeon_3111.jpg?w=375&amp;h=525&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=faces&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis is actually for my next project called <em>Outback<\/em>,\u201d she says, referring to the Korean Netflix original series she\u2019s currently filming. \u201cI\u2019m filming that right now, too, so that\u2019s why my hair is\u2026\u201d She trails off before revealing anything she shouldn\u2019t. When I press her on whether it\u2019s another action project, she smiles coyly then covers her mouth. \u201cI cannot say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The exchange is a fitting snapshot of Hoyeon\u2019s life right now: even as she\u2019s in New York promoting her first feature film, <em>Hope<\/em>, she\u2019s already in the middle of her next job. Her next day off, she estimates, won\u2019t come until after December. \u201cI just need a good one-month break.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR Idm\">\n<div class=\"QYV Qev\">\n<div class=\"uES fEt\">\n<div class=\"uT7\">\n<div class=\"FDO\">\n<div class=\"vmZ XJ- jWP\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/16\/a44d9b01\/hoyeon_3173.jpg?w=374&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"FDO\">\n<div class=\"vmZ XJ- jWP\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/16\/2a324f8d\/hoyeon_3167.jpg?w=374&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"yOD GLK\">\n<div class=\"ki0 kpP\">\n<div class=\"MNV\"><\/div>\n<p><label for=\"lightboxCheckbox-487452484\" class=\"QNb y8V St5\"><button aria-label=\"open lightbox\" class=\"kMc\"><\/button><\/label><\/div>\n<div class=\"C1C\">\n<div class=\"ZXG\">\n<div class=\"F6c\"><button class=\"ikQ VkL\"><\/button>1 \/ 2<button class=\"ikQ Olc\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"LOc\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"igl f5y\"><button class=\"ikQ Xfx\"><span class=\"Od1\">INFO<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"itG\">1 \/ 2<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hoyeon is used to staying in motion. The Seoul native began her career in 2013 as a strawberry blonde model on <em>Korea\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em> before making the leap to the Big Apple (and crimson locks) for the high fashion circuit in 2016. She had a few different New York addresses along the way, including stints in the East Village and Midtown, before finding home in Williamsburg. When I ask if she misses it, she doesn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cI keep telling my friends, \u2018I\u2019m going back to New York, I\u2019m going back to New York.\u2019\u201d The only problem, apparently, is being booked and busy. \u201cThere are so many offers coming in that are not happening in New York,\u201d she says, optimistically tabling it for next year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR CEt\">\n<figure class=\"Qf5 E1M\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:140.0073%\" class=\"vmZ F8Y ap2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/16\/9f7a8824\/hoyeon_3104.jpg?w=375&amp;h=525&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=faces&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Since finding overnight fame in 2021 in <em>Squid Game<\/em>, she\u2019s become something of a thriller darling. \u201cPersonally, I find joy in working in action films,\u201d she says, explaining how she finds the fun in performing scenes she wouldn\u2019t do in her ordinary life. \u201cMaybe [because] I started my career as a model so I&#8217;m used to moving around or using my body.\u201d Her most recent foray into the genre, the sci-fi action film <em>Hope<\/em>, was released on Sept. 9.<\/p>\n<p>Directed by Na Hong-jin, Hoyeon stars alongside Taylor Russell, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander, and premiered at Cannes earlier this year, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. Set in rural Korea, the 156-minute extraterrestrial thriller tells the tale of a mysterious creature mutilating animals, murdering people, and wreaking all forms of havoc on a sleepy village. Hoyeon plays Sung-ae, a badass weapon-toting rookie officer that required six months of pre-production weight training. \u201c[Na] wants his actors to do most of our own action scenes. He\u2019s well known [as] a perfectionist,\u201d she says, explaining how she put on 4 kilograms (or roughly 9 pounds) of solid muscle to complete \u201c30-something takes with a 5-kilogram gun in a day.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR Idm\">\n<div class=\"QYV Qev\">\n<div class=\"uES fEt\">\n<div class=\"uT7\">\n<div class=\"FDO\">\n<div class=\"vmZ XJ- jWP\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/17\/928a43c7\/hoyeon_3022_update_2.jpg?w=374&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"FDO\">\n<div class=\"vmZ XJ- jWP\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/17\/4849bc14\/hoyeon_3091_update.jpg?w=374&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"yOD GLK\">\n<div class=\"ki0 kpP\">\n<div class=\"MNV\"><\/div>\n<p><label for=\"lightboxCheckbox-487452485\" class=\"QNb y8V St5\"><button aria-label=\"open lightbox\" class=\"kMc\"><\/button><\/label><\/div>\n<div class=\"C1C\">\n<div class=\"ZXG\">\n<div class=\"F6c\"><button class=\"ikQ VkL\"><\/button>1 \/ 2<button class=\"ikQ Olc\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"LOc\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"igl f5y\"><button class=\"ikQ Xfx\"><span class=\"Od1\">INFO<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"itG\">1 \/ 2<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>And no action-baddie role would be complete without drift sequences. Hoyeon had to learn how to drive a manual car and perform the kind of high-octane J-turns and stunt maneuvers she, a lifelong city dweller, had never attempted before. Her introduction to a stick shift was not exactly confidence-building: while practicing on the road, she stalled in the middle of a highway. A police officer pulled her over to her embarrassment. \u201cMy face got red and I remember [saying], \u2018Oh, everything is OK. I&#8217;m not used to driving manuals. So sorry, so sorry,\u2019\u201d she sheepishly ducks her face into her hands as she recalls the memory.<\/p>\n<p>Though he let her go without a hitch, the experience left her nervous about having to drive on set, especially while acting and worrying about the film-set technicalities of eye line and hitting all of her marks. She then recounted the story to Vikander over a pre-production team dinner. Vikander offered a simple reframing: \u201cYou should shift your mindset from nervous or anxious to excited because these are things that you\u2019ve never tried before,\u201d Hoyeon recalls, adding, \u201cOne of the biggest joys of being an actor is to try things that you wouldn&#8217;t ever have tried if you weren&#8217;t that character.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR CEt\">\n<figure class=\"Qf5 E1M\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:139.9959%\" class=\"vmZ F8Y ap2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/17\/9199c988\/hoyeon_3128.jpg?w=375&amp;h=525&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=faces&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>That might be the closest thing Hoyeon has to a career philosophy for an actor who, thus far, has fortified her fort\u00e9 in action-packed dramas. \u201cI used to say I&#8217;m a very experimental person so I want to do things that I have never tried before,\u201d she says. \u201cBut nowadays, I&#8217;m thinking, is there actually the same exact character in my career? I don&#8217;t think so.\u201d Instead of chasing novelty for novelty\u2019s sake, Hoyeon explains that she is learning to follow her instincts, led more by her heart than adding another box to check off on her resume. \u201cIf a character or a script is moving my heart, then I should just go for it,\u201d she says. \u201cDon&#8217;t overthink about, \u2018Oh, this character I&#8217;ve done before, so let&#8217;s prioritize.\u2019 No, nothing like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Hoyeon, the appeal of acting isn\u2019t simply getting to inhabit someone else for a few months, but to spend an unusual amount of time trying to understand people she might never otherwise encounter. \u201cBeing an actor gives you a chance to have empathy or understanding of so many different kinds of human beings, cultural differences, or age differences,\u201d she says. \u201cThat doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that I can understand everything, but it&#8217;s just at least I&#8217;m trying to understand human nature. I think that&#8217;s quite a good thing to do in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR CEt\">\n<figure class=\"Qf5 E1M\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:125%\" class=\"vmZ F8Y ap2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgix.bustle.com\/uploads\/image\/2026\/9\/16\/9ed631cc\/quad.jpg?w=375&amp;h=469&amp;fit=crop&amp;crop=faces&amp;dpr=2\" alt class=\"EdX\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s a deeply philosophical answer from someone who has spent much of the last few years firing guns, speed-driving cars, and chasing the underworld. But Hoyeon is thoughtful when she talks about her work, pausing often to consider her answers but often circling back to the same idea: The thing she wants most is the thing she hasn\u2019t tried yet.<\/p>\n<p>Which, eventually, she says, may mean Broadway. She\u2019s watched plenty of famous shows (\u201cWhen I first moved to New York, I went to watch <em>Cats, Chicago, Lion King<\/em>,\u201d she rattles off), but the idea of performing on stage is still largely theoretical. \u201cI\u2019ve watched many of the famous Broadway shows, so maybe one day,\u201d she says, noting that a dramatic play is more her speed than a musical. She confesses she has never acted on a stage, which is precisely what intrigues her. \u201cSome people told me that once you&#8217;re an actress on stage, you can\u2019t stop,\u201d she says. \u201cIt&#8217;s not so much about the editing or directing. It&#8217;s more heavyweight on actors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I point out that she seems to like a challenge. She pauses. \u201cYeah, I think so,\u201d she says with a laugh.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sWr iGR\">\n<div class=\"Hvl Qpa\">\n<div class=\"F2P\">\n<p><em>Photographer: Elizabeth Wirija<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Writer: Sam Tracy<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Editor-in-Chief: Lauren McCarthy<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Creative Director: Karen Hibbert<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Photo Director: Jackie Ladner<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Production: Danielle Smit<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Features Director: Nolan Feeney<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Social Director: Charlie Mock<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Talent Bookings: Special Projects<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"BdA\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Encounter Stunt Driving &amp; Afternoon Fries With Hoyeon The Squid Game actress makes her big screen debut \u2014 and performs all of her own stunts along the way. by Sam Tracy Photographs by Eli Wirija 36 minutes ago Hoyeon is on the move \u2014 of course she needs some fuel. \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh, I&#8217;m [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,256],"class_list":["post-2149352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nylon-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2149352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2149352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2149352\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2149352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2149352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2149352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}