EXCLUSIVE: Lee Jung Jae, Wi Ha Joon & Hwang Dong Hyuk on making Squid Game 2, underdogs & more

Korean entertainment has been having a moment for a while now. Between gritty crime thriller films and cutesy romantic K-dramas, the audience is hooked. However, Squid Game, a show that is a global phenomenon in the pandemic, is not a formulaic revenge drama or rom-com. The binge-worthy survival thriller uses a series of deadly games to comment on the rot in today’s capitalistic, corrupt and cut-throat society. From breaking records at the Emmys to the stars winning accolades, the show did everything wrong. Director Hwang Dong Hyuk and lead actors Lee Jung Jae and Wi Ha Joon admitted that they didn’t think the show would return for a second season. But here we are, back for another round.

Making a universal nuisance

Lee Jung Jae has had a long career. But in 2022, he made history by winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Squid Game. “When we won the award in the last award season, we didn’t know that Season 2 would come out. I thought it was the final step of my Game Cumi journey. But after the award season, we knew that the next installment would come. I realized that this show would be a set big of my life. So I enjoyed my time on set with the new cast too. Reflecting on the recognition, he shared, “Receiving an award can mean a lot to an actor. But I think it also means that people love and root for my character. That directly translated into my introspection about what I could do to make people love and support my character in other projects in the future. Director Hwang Dong Hyuk echoed the sentiment of uncertainty. He said, “I didn’t go into Season 1 thinking I should do another season. However, I thought if the show was really good and we had to come back, what story would I tell? I’ve been thinking about it. By the end of the first season , I left the story at the point where Gi-hun lost his teeth during the making of the first season. When asked what made him do it again, he said that it was all about closure for the audience the big one which exceeded everyone’s expectations, I feel it is inevitable that we come out with another installment because there is so much anticipation and curiosity about what will happen next. I almost feel responsible that I have to close Gi-hun’s trip. It won’t really stop here. That’s why I think I need to work on seasons 2 and 3. Doing something well usually means having to do it again.

NEXT LEVEL

“What I wanted to do was get away from all the pressure I was feeling
because Season 1 was a huge hit,” Lee Jung Jae said. “There are a lot of expectations around Season 2. So I feel like I have to get away from that pressure. When actors feel a lot of anticipation, they become a bit greedy in portraying the character, and that’s not good,” he said with a laugh. Although it seems absurd in the context of the show that, the focus is to bring laughter to the audience. “I think the most important thing is to bring joy to the audience with Gi-hun’s character. So I focus on the changes that have gone through and how I can channel the evolved Gi-Hun now. I had a lot of fun with the crew and co-stars this time,” he added.

Sitting next to Jung Jae in a gray suit to match the understated tone of his co-star’s beige suit, Wi Ha Joon nodded. Flashing a smile that is enough to melt your heart, the actor who plays detective Hwang Jun Ho in the show shows that he wants to portray complex emotions. Reflecting on the journey, he shared, “In Season 2, my character Jun Ho was faced with the great revelation that Front Man is indeed his brother. He survived all the different things, so he has fear and anger inside him. The actor has an affinity for playing an anti-hero (although we want him to do more romantic dramas). “I tried my best to give a complete and nuanced picture of him with all the different emotions inside,” he said and Ha Joon understand the pressure of performing a role in popular demand.

THE UNDERDOG

Squid Game may be one of the most horrible events out there, but there are moments of lightness found; there a lot of Dong Hyuk’s philosophy can be found. He shared, “Gi-hun has woken up and we know he’s a changed person after the game. For Season 2, he has to start from the same place. But instead of showing how he’s changed as a character, it’s about clumsiness, friendliness and childishness that fans found endearing. This time, we want to bring those elements back to the character. He added, “You can see when Gi-hun is with his childhood friend, where we can see the old Gi-hun we know and loved.”

Dong Hyuk stuck to the basics when it came to making Gi-hun beloved. “It’s not fun to see the top dog win because everyone expects the top dog to win. We see ourselves as underdogs and we always want to shine brighter, be better and come out as champions. We think we’re underdogs now, that’s why we root for them . It makes the story worth watching, so many entertaining stories have the underdog as the protagonist.” And as viewers who watch the show from beginning to end will tell you, it works.

Opening up about the Hallyu wave or the wave of Korean entertainment that is sweeping the world, the director shared, “Until now, many creators and people from the Korean entertainment industry have put a lot of passion and effort into making what they love, whether it’s in music, series or movies . In the past, it was not always easy for local content to be introduced to a global audience. You have to attend film festivals and meet the right audience. It’s very complicated and difficult.” laughs, “Nowadays, it has become very easy because there are several platforms where creators can directly connect with viewers.”

Squid Game 2 is released on December 26th on Netflix.