In portraying Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean defector with a knack for pickpocketing and love for family, Jung said she had no fear of taking on an unglamorous role or having to act ugly for her foray into acting.

“In a way, I think Sae-byeok lived her life to the fullest, so her desperate need to win was different from the others, and she didn’t necessarily have to earn the cash prize.”.

“In a way, I think Sae-byeok lived her life to the fullest, so her desperate need to win was different from the others, and she didn’t necessarily have to earn the cash prize.”.

To prepare for the role, she said she watched documentaries and rehearsed Sae-byeok’s North Hamgyŏng province dialect.

Jung also took martial arts lessons to prepare for action scenes with her casting partners, including Heo Sung-tae, who plays the role of villain Jang Deok-su and attacks Sae-byeok in the first episode.

Jung said she believes their constant conversations built up the chemistry between the two, leading to the climax in the marble game scene, where Ji-yeong lets Sae-byeok win the game, therefore letting her live.

To get into character, Jung said she wrote extensive journals as if she were Sae-byeok to create a rich backstory of her family separation, including details such as the air she would have felt the day she last saw them or the last words they would have shared. .

“I tried to write it down as much as possible to understand her character,” Jung said.

Jung said she wanted to portray her character accurately, and the most difficult scene for her was when Sae-byeok tried to hide her pain from a piece of glass stuck in her side.  .

“It was when Sae-byeok could show the weakest spots of her,” Jung said.

“I didn’t have anyone to share my good or bad news with,” Jung said.

She said one of her favorite film performances is that of Amy Adams in the Academy Award-nominated drama “Doubt,” and one of her favorite novels is “The Vegetarian,” by South Korean writer Han Kang, winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize

“Aside from the time I spent eating, I remember just reading the script,” Jung said in a South Korean news conference

“I think I know what that means now,” Jung said

“I gained deep respect and regard for the people I work with,” Jung said