"I felt like I might have not made it" - Squid Game 2's Jo Yu-ri reveals that she went through four rounds of auditions for her role in the series

On December 20, 2024, Squid Game 2 cast member and K-pop idol Jo Yu-ri sat down for an interview at the South Korean YouTube talk show Idol Rush. The singer-actress uncovered several facts and anecdotes related to her recent role in Squid Game 2, where the idol played the character of Player 222, Kim Jun-hee. Many netizens were impressed with her portrayal of the role.

During the interview, Jo Yu-ri shared her initial doubts about getting the role.

"I safely made it through the first audition, and I got a call back for the second audition. I wasn't sure how it went because although I gave it my all, I felt like I might have not made it."

Jo Yu-ri shared that she initially participated in the auditions after her agency informed her about the casting. She said that she was in Busan right before the day of her audition. When she told her mother about the audition opportunity for Squid Game 2, she encouraged Jo Yu-ri to participate.

She added that after the first round, they called her back for another round of auditions. However, she felt unsure about her performance in the second round and was scared she might not get the role. Despite her doubts, the idol was called for a third and fourth round of auditions, landing her the role in Squid Game 2.

"But a few days later, I got the call saying I passed the second audition and immediately called for the third audition. And I did a final fourth audition as well."

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All you need to know about Jo Yu-ri and her casting in the second season of the Squid Game series

Jo Yu-ri is a 23-year-old South Korean singer-actress who debuted as an idol in 2017. Her first public appearance was in Mnet's reality survival show, Idol School, which resulted in the creation of the K-pop girl group fromis_9. However, the idol was eliminated from the show after placing 15th rank.

Jo Yu-ri participated in Produce 48, another reality survival show by Mnet, in 2018. She got 3rd rank and made it to the debut lineup of the K-pop girl group IZ*ONE with eleven other group members. While the group had a successful career, they disbanded in April 2021 after the contract ended..

After the disbandment, Jo Yu-ri embarked on her solo career with a few single releases. In September 2020, she released the OST My Love for the SBS series Do You Like Brahms? and followed it up with another OST release, Story of Us, for the JTBC series Monthly Magazine Home in 2021.

Following her collaborative track with Lee Seok-hoon called Autumn Memories, she rolled out her official solo debut track, Glassy. In 2022, Jo Yu-ri made her acting debut through the Playlist Studio web series Mimicus. She also continued to land other OST tracks for K-dramas like Run for The Fabulous, Down (Juicy, Juicy) for See You in My 19th Life, Luv Luv Luv for My Lovely Liar, and more.

Most recently, her activities have concentrated on her role in Squid Game 2, for which she has gained global attention. In her interview at Idol Rush, Jo Yu-ri also added that she was shocked when she got the role. She explained that the director spam-called her to let her know about the casting, and she was quite thrilled to play a role in an action-related series.

"My director usually doesn't call me during work hours, but my phone kept ringing, so I picked up, and they told me that I got the role. I want to try action. I love that genre and have always wanted to do it. And I'd love to play an unpredictable character."

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Squid Game 1 and 2 are available on Netflix, with season 3 expected to premiere sometime in 2025.