Actress, Model, Ballroom Dancer: Reagan To Takes the Stage

by Yoko Zhu

Photographer: Vince Trupsin @vincetrupsin

Stylist: Quentin Fears @mrqfears

Hair & Makeup: Allison Noelle @allisonnoellemakeup

The animatronic with its sunny tangerine-orange dress, girlish pigtails, and dead eyes is easily distinguishable in the critically-acclaimed South Korean show Squid Game. With her machine mouth, she famously broadcasts a line that triggers the characters to move: “Red light, green light.” The voice of the American dub is Reagan To, a child actress with an endearing smile and bubbly disposition. She simultaneously voices Ga-yeong, protagonist Gi-hun’s beloved daughter, who is played by Jo A-in, a Korean child actress To is said to resemble. To’s known for her voice work on Squid Game, a role on Jane the Virgin, and her skits on Jimmy Kimmel Live! With her charm and affinity for pink and red hues (as seen on her Instagram), child star To is taking the stage.

Introduce yourself! Who are you, and what do you like to do? 

My name is Reagan To, and I'm 10 years old. I love acting, voice acting, and ballroom dancing. I'm also a professional ballroom dancer, and I spend six, seven hours every single day at my studio. [It started when] I was doing a TV show called Jane the Virgin. I was with the main character; her name was Gina [Rodriguez]. She showed me a video from Dancing with the Stars, and I was really inspired. I was like, “All right, I'm gonna ask my mom to sign me up for some ballroom dancing classes.” I just love performing on stage; it's my dream job and career.

We know that you’ve worked on Squid Games as the voice actor for the ‘Red light, green light’ doll. What was that process like?

When I was auditioning [for Squid Games], they didn't even give me the name. I worked on [my submission] with my coach, and we submitted it. And 12 hours later, they responded: you booked it. This was for another show I did before called Sijipeuseu: The Myth.

After I did that, I didn't think much [of it]. A few weeks later, they called me back like, Hey, can you do another TV show? And that was Squid Game!  When I went in, I didn't even know the name of the show. The director just had me in a separate room. She told me to cover my eyes so I wouldn’t see the violent scenes. I said my lines “Green light, red light”, and suddenly it's all around the world. At school, people are like, “Oh my god, are you the ‘Red light, green light’ voice? I loved hearing your voice.” I didn't expect it to be so popular. I also [voiced] another character. She's the main character's daughter. Her name is Ga-yeong, and everyone's like “you kind of look like her.”

Can you tell us about being on Jimmy Kimmel as well? How did that experience shape you?

I've been on Jimmy Kimmel four times. I did this skit based off of the Friends TV series. There were a bunch of kids my age. We even got a couch and were jumping around. I made a bunch of friends, and we still talk. I just love being on camera as well. It was really fun.

I met stars like Lena Waife, Channing Tatum, Rami Malik–and they were all super nice to me [During my time at Jimmy Kimmel], I went to an ice cream museum. I was with Rami Malik. There was a vending machine with ice cream and snacks.  And Rami Malik told me that I was a lucky charm, and a year later he won an award for being the best actor!

You’re a model — you’ve modeled for Forever 21, Gap, and are currently a model for Nike. How did you start? What has your experience been like?

My mom was like, “You can go try modeling,” because I had started acting and voiceover as well. Let’s do some modeling, some commercials. I started in one route, and I [went] separate wells. I’m really lucky and fortunate that I was able to book modeling jobs, like Forever 21. And honestly, like, it's, it's like, I didn't really like, go like signs of papers and like, try to get that it kind of just came to me and I'm really fortunate.

I really enjoy modeling; it's really fun to be in front of a camera. They just take pictures of you, and you get a pose and different poses. You get weird, different outfits and there’s stylists, and it is a really fun experience. Sometimes I get to keep some of the clothes. For Forever 21 I didn't get to keep the clothes, but I got to buy them after, and it was really comfy.

What’s it like being in the industry at such a young age?

Sometimes, it's really challenging. I always keep going, stay positive, and just keep going all the way. Sometimes, if you don't do your best you might miss out on a really great opportunity. Every single audition I do, I try the hardest I can and I hope that I book it.

If you have any ideas in your head, what would your TV show or movie be about? 

I think it'd be a sitcom. It'd be really comedic and funny and inspired by my life.

As you grow older, would you like to continue in the entertainment industry, or would you like to pursue another path?

I think I'm going to stick to what I have. I might start a baking business, because I love baking. Sometimes during holidays, every week, or just having a family dinner, I'll make scones because every single person in my family loves them. 

What would you say to your older self if you could?

I would just like to remind myself that this is something I love, [even] despite how challenging it gets, and keep following my dreams.