Meet Jung Eugene, star of Netflix’s Remarriage and Desires: she debuted as a model through YG KPlus like Nam Joo-hyuk, then cut her teeth in acting with the likes of Lee Jong-suk – and now Park Hoon
Netflix’s new Remarriage and Desires is such a show, sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Coming out on July 15, it centres on Rex, a matchmaking agency serving ambitious clients angling to marry rich and rise to the highest echelons of Korean society.
Observant fans may be familiar with Jung Eugene, who’s best known for playing supporting female roles in popular K-dramas.
So who is she, and will we see a different side of her in Remarriage and Desires?
She’s a model-turned-actress
She’s acted twice with Lee Jong-suk and Jung Hae-in
Jung’s acting was well-received when she started out, something that helped her land more roles in the following years.
The skill that gets her cast in professional roles
In 2019, Jung appeared as a guest on the talk show Happy Together. Host Yoo Jae-suk noted that Jung typically plays characters that have specialised jobs: a secretary, stage designer, a book editor. Jung then revealed why she thinks she gets cast in such roles.
“The directors have been telling me that I have good pronunciation, and it’s why they are fond of me,” she said.
The hosts commented that with Jung’s pronunciation, she could also play a news anchor or a weather presenter. So, she spontaneously delivered a mock news report and special weather forecast on the show, much to the hosts’ delight.
She can pull off the part of a villain
Jung plays a ruthless lawyer in Remarriage and Desires, a far cry from her previous roles. Describing her character, she said: “She will do anything to reach the top class. She’s a character who will coldly move forward in order to raise her status.”
King Jung-min, the show’s director, remarked that the production required an actress who could be charmingly stylish even while playing a villain, and said she immediately thought of Jung, reported Soompi.
She’s a homebody
In a 2018 interview with Showbiz Korea, Jung admitted that she’s a homebody at heart. The actress explained that she used to prefer staying home due to her job, but these days she’s happy to venture out for dinners with her friends too.
“I began my modelling career when I was young. My house was far away so I often had to go home early,” she said.
In her spare time, she watches films and invites close friends to eat with her. She loves Japanese cuisine, and has said she’s good at cooking cold buckwheat noodles and hotpot dishes.
- She walked the runway for Chanel and Louis Vuitton, and now finds herself playing a villain in Netflix’s new K-drama alongside megastars Park Hoon and Kim Hee-sun
- Better known for playing supporting female characters, the 33-year-old has twice acted with Lee Jong-suk and Jung Hae-in, and has said she gets cast thanks to her impeccable diction