Stepping onto the set of Lee Jung-jae felt like he had never left.
鈥淚ncluding promotion, I'd been living with Gi-hun for about two years," said Lee in a recent interview. 鈥淚 really felt like I was him," he said in a recent interview.
鈥淪quid Game鈥� follows an underground competition in Korea that recruits people in debt to participate in childlike games for money. Once the games begin, the contestants realize there are deadly consequences.
The show was a global hit when it was released in 2021, becoming Netflix's most-watched series. It also won numerous accolades including for acting for Lee Jung-jae and directing for Hwang Dong-hyuk. Lee's career catapulted, and giving him his first English-language role in the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� series 鈥淭he Acolyte鈥� for Disney+.
Lee says when Netflix ordered a second season of 鈥淪quid Game,鈥� he because it took Hwang years to work on the first one. "I wondered, 鈥楬ow many years will it take him to write season two,鈥�" said Lee. Hwang, in turn, surprised everyone 鈥� including himself 鈥� by taking just six months to write season two and a third and final season. 鈥淚'm not sure I'll ever be able to write something that fast again,鈥� he said.
Creating new characters and their individual stories came easily. The biggest, challenge, Hwang said, was deciding what should happen with Gi-hun. Lee says when he read the scripts he thought Hwang 鈥渞eally is a genius.鈥�
It's rare for even successful TV shows in Korea to have more than one season so it was a big swing, even for the new cast.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a Korean phrase, 鈥榯here鈥檚 not a sequel that does better than its prequel,鈥� 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.鈥� The outlook is positive. Season two has already been at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards.
The opportunity to work on a project with worldwide appeal is a dream come true for a performer. Lee Byung-hun, who reprises his villain role from season one, has appeared in big budget English-language films like 鈥淕.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra鈥� with Channing Tatum and Dennis Quaid and 鈥淩ed 2鈥� with Bruce Willis. It's 鈥淪quid Game鈥� that he credits for taking his career to another level.
鈥淚鈥檝e been an actor for over three decades and ... maybe most people outside of Korea have never seen anything that I鈥檝e been in. If anyone through 鈥楽quid Game鈥� wishes to see more of me or becomes more curious about my previous works, as an actor, nothing would be more rewarding or bring me greater joy."
The audition process moved slowly. Jo Yu-ri recalls waiting two months between the first and second-round. When she finally got the part Jo says, 鈥淚 actually remember crying.鈥� The actors were asked to not speak publicly about their casting to wait for Netflix to make an announcement. 鈥淭here were a couple of close friends that popped champagne for me when they found out," said Yang.
Netflix's 鈥淪quid Game鈥� universe is also growing. A second season of has been ordered and an English version is in development. Season three of the original has also completed filming and is in post-production.
Season two is not without controversy. The new episodes feature a transgender character played by Park Sung-hoon. Hwang says he understands why hiring a trans actor would have been ideal, but that the casting is a reflection of how the LGBTQ community and gender identity is viewed in Korea.
鈥淭o be honest with you, in Korea, when it comes to the LGBTQ and gender minority community and culture compared to the Western worlds, it鈥檚 not as widely socially accepted yet. Unfortunately, a lot of the groups are marginalized and neglected from society, which is heartbreaking," said Hwang.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 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鈥檛 able to.鈥� Hwang also went on to say that Park's talent and approach to the character ended up making him 鈥渢he perfect fit.鈥�
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Leslie Ambriz in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press
