Jung Ho Yeon has opened up about how intimidating driving scenes for Hope became, revealing that one of her training sessions even ended with her car stopped on a highway and police coming to check on her.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Jung Ho Yeon discussed the intense preparation she went through for director Na Hong Jin's sci-fi action film Hope. The actress plays Im Sung Ae, a rookie police officer in the fictional port town where the story takes place.
Preparing for the action-heavy role was not easy. Jung Ho Yeon reportedly trained for around six months in areas including firearms, driving, and strength training. She also learned how to drive a manual-transmission vehicle because the role required her to handle one herself.
However, driving became one of the most stressful parts of her preparation.
Jung Ho Yeon admitted, “The driving acting was actually really scary.”
She recalled that shortly after getting her license to drive a manual vehicle, she was practicing on a highway when the car suddenly stopped. Unsure of what she had done wrong, she found herself dealing with an unexpected situation on the road.
Police eventually approached and asked whether she was okay and what had happened. Jung Ho Yeon explained that she was still getting used to driving a manual car.
The experience was only part of the challenge. For Hope, she also had to perform more complicated driving scenes that required her to control the vehicle at speed while staying focused on her character and acting at the same time.
Jung Ho Yeon said the upcoming car stunts caused her considerable anxiety. During that period, she shared her concerns with co-star Alicia Vikander over dinner after one of her training sessions.
According to Jung Ho Yeon, Vikander encouraged her to look at the experience differently. She told her that one of the interesting parts of being an actor is getting opportunities to try things that a person might never normally experience.
Rather than focusing only on the fear and pressure, Vikander encouraged her to find enjoyment in learning something completely new.
The conversation helped Jung Ho Yeon change her perspective. She began viewing the demanding action and driving preparation less as something to fear and more as a rare challenge she could experience through acting.
Hope marks Jung Ho Yeon's first feature film following her breakout role in Squid Game. The film also stars Hwang Jung Min, Jo In Sung, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell.
The film opened in North America on September 9 across around 1,560 theaters, following its earlier theatrical release in South Korea.
