With the Korean action sci-fi thriller Hope set to arrive in Indian theatres, actress Hoyeon is ready to show audiences a very different side of herself. Best known for her role in Squid Game, the actor plays rookie police officer Sung-ae, a character who finds herself caught in an increasingly dangerous situation. Taking on the role also meant stepping into unfamiliar territory for Hoyeon, who underwent extensive training to prepare for the film’s action sequences.

For Hoyeon, the preparation involved learning firearms, car drifting and various other action techniques, giving her the opportunity to take on skills she had never tried before. The training became one of the most exciting parts of taking on the role, allowing her to push herself beyond what she had previously experienced. “I had to put in a lot of work learning firearms, car drifting and all these different action techniques, but honestly, that was the most exciting part for me. I was getting to do things I had never experienced before,” she says.

Her training was put to the test while filming one of the movie’s long firearm action sequences. Working with director Na Hong-jin, whose perfectionist approach meant paying close attention to every detail, Hoyeon had to repeat the sequence multiple times.

“Director Na is such a perfectionist, so we really had to get every detail right. There’s this long firearm action sequence that we shot 18 times, so by the end of it, it was definitely intense,” she recalls. The demanding process required Hoyeon to maintain both her physicality and concentration through repeated takes, making it one of the most challenging parts of her experience on the film.

Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Na Hong-jin, Hope will now arrive in Indian theatres on October 23. The film stars Hoyeon alongside Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Hwang Jung-min, bringing together an international ensemble for the sci-fi action thriller. With cinematography by Hong Kyung-pyo, known for his work on Parasite, the film will be released across the country by Star Entertainment in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, bringing a large-scale Korean cinematic spectacle to Indian audiences.

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