Jo Yuri Says 'Squid Game' Came to Her at the Toughest Hour; Shares IZ*ONE Members' Reactions

'Squid Game 2' star Jo Yuri, formerly a member of disbanded K-pop project girl group IZ*ONE, recounted her casting process and the emotional moment she landed her role.

On January 9, Jo Yuri had an interview with a news outlet about Netflix's original series 'Squid Game 2' at a café in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

When asked about how it has been since the series' recent reveal, Jo Yuri said, "Every social media post I make receives far more likes and comments than before. It made me realize how popular the series is."

The actress talked about the open audition for 'Squid Game 2' that led to her securing her role.

"There were four auditions overall, which took over three months. I couldn't believe it when they told me I got the part. It felt like dreaming. I was so thrilled that I shed tears of joy."
Jo Yuri said she was going through the most challenging time before filming 'Squid Game 2'.

"I've been auditioning a lot, but it didn't get me anywhere. Sometimes, the pressure felt heavy while working hard to achieve something."

"It was around that time my father passed away. Bad things happened to me simultaneously, and it was tough."

"But when I got a part in 'Squid Game 2', it was like the burnout I had vanished away. I was grateful that someone believed in me.", Jo Yuri shared.
Jo Yuri shared that, although she was too shy to ask director Hwang Dong-hyuk about it, she has a theory about how she got the part.

"It was the last audition left for me during that tough period. I was so desperate that I might have drawn some power from the universe."

"In my intense desire for the part, the director might have seen the character, 'Kim Jun-hee', determined to make it through the game with her child."
Jo Yuri shared that she has gotten many congratulatory messages from IZ*ONE members since landing the role.

"In the past, I was skeptical that such a message would be helpful; now I know it does. I was so grateful for the messages they sent me. Each one felt special. I once again realized how much the members mean to me."

"I texted one of the members, Kim Min-ju, until I arrived for this interview. WONYOUNG also congratulated me many times ever since I got the part. She was like, 'I've heard about the news! That's huge! I'm so happy for you!'.", Jo Yuri said, expressing gratitude.
'Squid Game 2' is the second season of survival thriller horror series 'Squid Game' that revolves around a secret contest where players risk their lives in a series of deadly children's games to win a huge cash prize.

Jo Yuri, one of the new cast members for the second season, plays 'Kim Jun-hee', who participates in the deadly game while pregnant.
(Credit= Netflix Korea, 'for_everyoung10' 'min.__.ju' Instagram)

(SBS Star)