Stepping onto the set of “Squid Game” season two, Lee Jong-jae felt like he had by no means left.
“Together with promotion, I might been residing with Gi-hun for about two years,” said Lee in a recent interview. “I really felt like I was him,” he mentioned in a latest interview.
“Squid Game” follows an underground competitors in Korea that recruits individuals in debt to take part in childlike video games for cash. As soon as the video games start, the contestants notice there are lethal penalties.
The present was a worldwide hit when it was launched in 2021, turning into Netflix’s most-watched sequence. It additionally received quite a few accolades together with Primetime Emmy Awards for performing for Lee Jung-jae and directing for Hwang Dong-hyuk. Lee’s profession catapulted, taking him to the Cannes Movie Pageant and giving him his first English-language position within the “Star Wars” sequence “The Acolyte” for Disney+.
Lee says when Netflix ordered a second season of “Squid Game,” he questioned the timeline as a result of it took Hwang years to work on the primary one. “I wondered, ‘How many years will it take him to write season two,’” mentioned Lee. Hwang, in flip, stunned everybody — together with himself — by taking simply six months to put in writing season two and a 3rd and remaining season. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write something that fast again,” he mentioned.
Creating new characters and their particular person tales got here simply. The largest, problem, Hwang mentioned, was deciding what ought to occur with Gi-hun. Lee says when he learn the scripts he thought Hwang “really is a genius.”
It is uncommon for even profitable TV exhibits in Korea to have multiple season so it was a giant swing, even for the brand new solid.
“There’s a Korean phrase, ‘there’s not a sequel that does better than its prequel,’ said actor Yang Dong-geong, whose character debuts in season two. “I’ve been careful because we aren’t really sure what the reaction will be.” The outlook is constructive. Season two has already been nominated in the most effective drama sequence class on the upcoming Golden Globe Awards.
The chance to work on a venture with worldwide enchantment is a dream come true for a performer. Lee Byung-hun, who reprises his villain position from season one, has appeared in large price range English-language movies like “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra” with Channing Tatum and Dennis Quaid and “Red 2” with Bruce Willis. It is “Squid Game” that he credit for taking his profession to a different degree.
“I’ve been an actor for over three many years and … perhaps most individuals outdoors of Korea have by no means seen something that I’ve been in. If anybody by means of ‘Squid Game’ needs to see extra of me or turns into extra interested in my earlier works, as an actor, nothing could be extra rewarding or convey me higher pleasure.”
The audition course of moved slowly. Jo Yu-ri recollects ready two months between the primary and second-round. When she lastly obtained the half Jo says, “I actually remember crying.” The actors had been requested to not converse publicly about their casting to attend for Netflix to make an announcement. “There have been a few shut associates that popped champagne for me once they came upon,” mentioned Yang.
Netflix’s “Squid Game” universe can be rising. A second season of a actuality competitors present primarily based on the sequence has been ordered and an English model is in improvement. Season three of the unique has additionally accomplished filming and is in post-production.
Season two just isn’t with out controversy. The brand new episodes characteristic a transgender character performed by Park Sung-hoon. Hwang says he understands why hiring a trans actor would have been perfect, however that the casting is a mirrored image of how the LGBTQ neighborhood and gender identification is considered in Korea.
“To be sincere with you, in Korea, in relation to the LGBTQ and gender minority neighborhood and tradition in comparison with the Western worlds, it’s not as broadly socially accepted but. Sadly, a variety of the teams are marginalized and uncared for from society, which is heartbreaking,” mentioned Hwang.
“We don’t have a very large pool of actors that allow for authentic casting when it comes to transgender characters. We did our research. We tried to find someone who we thought could be the best fit. However, we weren’t able to.” Hwang additionally went on to say that Park’s expertise and strategy to the character ended up making him “the perfect fit.”
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Leslie Ambriz in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
