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A number of athletes found themselves thrust into the international spotlight thanks to what transpired at the Olympics in Paris over the summer, and South Korean shooting sensation Kim Ye-ji didn’t waste much time taking advantage of her newfound fame after getting the chance to pivot to acting.
The shooting events at the Olympics typically don’t receive a ton of attention compared to more premier competitions like basketball, swimming, and track and field, but the 2024 Games were a very notable exception to that rule thanks to a couple of athletes who took the internet by storm.
Yusuf Dikec of Turkey garnered plenty of attention for winning a silver medal with the help of a casual stance that featured a hand firmly wedged into his pocket and without the aid of the special glasses most athletes in those competitions opt to rock—including Kim Ye-ji, who also got a taste of online fame thanks to the “aura” she exuded while winning a silver of her own in the 10m air pistol competition.
Dikec and Kim both exuded the energy of the no-nonsense, cold-blooded contract killers Hollywood would lead you to believe are lurking in ample quantities in the criminal underworld, and now, the latter will have the chance to portray one while making her acting debut.
According to NPR, Kim—who signed with a talent agency in South Korea after returning from the Olympics due to the many offers she found herself fielding after going viral (including campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Givenchy) —will be portraying an assassin in Crush, a “spinoff short-form series” inspired by the movie Asia.
That film featured Indian actress Anushka Sen, and she shared a behind-the-scenes clip of Kim giving her some help with her shooting form before striking a pose with her co-star.
Congrats to Kim for taking full advantage of her big moment.