hoyeon takes HOLLYWOOD
ELLE Singapore|September 2024
With her first English-speaking role with an A-list director, the model and Squid Game alum is proving she's here to stay.
KATHLEEN HOU
hoyeon takes HOLLYWOOD

It's a big bite, but it isn't more than Hoyeon can handle. In front of the South Korean actress is a butcher's feast of raw steak on a wooden cutting board. Executive chef David Shim of Cote Korean Steakhouse uses shiny silver tongs to place the squares of meat-precisely cut, towering, perfectly marbled-one by one on a fiery barbecue grill. As they begin to cook, Hoyeon inhales with the kind of relish that most people reserve for a rose garden.

"So juicy," she says, grinning ear to ear at the meat perfume, the steam bathing her rosy cheeks. She takes a strip of red leaf lettuce, elegantly dips the tip of her chopsticks into the spicy ssamjang, and adds daikon cubes and a piece of glossy beef on top. In one smooth motion, she opens her mouth wide to reveal picture-perfect teeth (befitting the face of a Lancôme ambassador), folds the whole thing in half-and it disappears. Her eyes squeeze shut. Her face tips to the sky. She wiggles and shimmies back and forth on the wooden bench, bopping for a full minute in response to the dopamine hit. "Mmm!"

Beyond the meat bliss, Hoyeon has been feeling giddy about life in general these days. She continues to be a modelling force, with her finely symmetrical face appearing in magazines, ad campaigns, and the occasional billboard. Her debut acting role in Squid Game made her a breakout star in 2021 for her magnetic performance as Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector with an "I'm not here to make friends" iciness, who participates in the deadly competition to provide for her little brother. A year later, she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Female Actor in a Drama Series. Now she has 18.8 million followers on Instagram and fans all over the world. (When a group of NYC teenage girls wearing baggy jeans spot her outside the Chinatown coffee shop that we moved to post-steak dinner, they quiver and audibly freak out.)

Bu hikaye ELLE Singapore dergisinin September 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye ELLE Singapore dergisinin September 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

ELLE SINGAPORE DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Awakening After Adversity
ELLE Singapore

Awakening After Adversity

Author and wellness advocate JILL ALPHONSO says the one thing that breast cancer taught her was to prioritise herself-a lesson every young woman must learn.

time-read
5 dak  |
October 2024
Miami Vibes
ELLE Singapore

Miami Vibes

Urban art, dreamy beaches, Latin flavour...find out why these have made MIAMI a sought-after destination.

time-read
5 dak  |
October 2024
The Language Of Flowers
ELLE Singapore

The Language Of Flowers

Young designers are falling for the subversive power of a classic motif.

time-read
3 dak  |
October 2024
The Joy Luck Club
ELLE Singapore

The Joy Luck Club

The duo behind YanYan takes play very seriously. Phyllis Chan and Suzzie Chung share how they are shaking up the world of knitwear while having absolute fun.

time-read
3 dak  |
October 2024
Wild West
ELLE Singapore

Wild West

For its latest collection, WEEKEND MAX MARA teams up with American actress Lucy Hale to embrace the season's rustic charm.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Men Of The Hour
ELLE Singapore

Men Of The Hour

Fresh off the success of their drama, 4MINUTES, Thai actors Bible Wichapas Sumettikul and Jespipat Tilapornputt are on the cusp of international stardom.

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
Conquer The Day
ELLE Singapore

Conquer The Day

As a versatile everyday watch with panache, LONGINES' new Conquest collection gets the job done very nicely.

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024
Woman On A Mission
ELLE Singapore

Woman On A Mission

Rebecca Lim may have taken a step back from showbiz to settle into her new role as first-time mum, but the actress wants everyone to know that they haven't seen the last of Becks. She talks to ELLE about reconciling motherhood and career.

time-read
6 dak  |
October 2024
The Making Of An Icon
ELLE Singapore

The Making Of An Icon

"SHOUT, SHOUT, LET IT ALL OUT," sings Fann Wong as glittering creations from Buccellati are carefully put on her.

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
Million Dollar Woman
ELLE Singapore

Million Dollar Woman

With her dazzling confidence and supermodel aura, GIGI HADID is the embodiment of Rabanne's new Million Gold For Her fragrance.

time-read
3 dak  |
October 2024