Squid Game: Season 2 | 오징어게임2 [Q4 2024]

[Chocolate]

Woohoo!

 

 

@kdramafolder

211013 | Netflix calls #SquidGame as Netflix's biggest debut hit ever after reaching 111M viewers worldwide beating Bridgerton with 82M households on its debut, based on Netflix’s internal metric which includes the number of account that have watched for at least 2 min

 

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/13/squid-game-is-netflixs-biggest-debut-hit-reaching-111m-viewers-worldwide

 

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by Chocolate

[Mizv]

Not peeking at comments here since currently on episode 5.  But just had to say this series has been brutal! This is weird…. Everyone in my house talking about this drama.  I am the only one that is a devoted kdrama fan.  So it’s very weird to be talking about something I am accustomed to watching alone.
 

This series has also  grabbed attention of so many of my non kdrama friends as well.   I do wonder what makes squid game stand out to the international audience.  is it the cold killing? There are so many good dramas I hope others will notice.

 

 

[stroppyse]

15 hours ago, Mizv said:

This series has also  grabbed attention of so many of my non kdrama friends as well.   I do wonder what makes squid game stand out to the international audience.  is it the cold killing? There are so many good dramas I hope others will notice.

 

I don't think it's the killing itself. There are already loads of movies and dramas in any number of languages with violence, and truthfully, the violence is what initially put me off after watching the first episode. That Red Light Green Light game is brutal.

 

I wonder if it's the social commentaries about the brutal fight for life where we may compromise ourselves for so many reasons, with the primary one being survival? Or how privilege can nullify one's sense of humanity in terms of the less fortunate? There are a number of pieces that has done a good job of analyzing the various social commentary in this drama.

 

I think that commentary also matches these turbulent times we live in. And, perhaps all times are turbulent, depending on where you live. However, this time when we are in a global pandemic as well as in political turmoil in a number of jurisdictions including ones thought to have been stable for so long, as well as our sense of connection which goes beyond geographical boundaries and even cultures seems to make this an unusually turbulent time in our collective history.

 

However, I can also speculate that I am full of it and myself. :)

[Chocolate]

We learn more about the director's thoughts. And wow, never knew you could lose teeth from stress 😱

 

 

‘Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Talks Season 2, Show’s Deeper Meaning

 

The South Korean director opens up about the "dumbfounding" experience of having his show become Netflix's biggest title ever: "There have been a lot of different layers of feelings."

BY PATRICK BRZESKI | OCTOBER 13, 2021 5:30AM

 

Behind the scenes on Netflix's 'Squid Game' with creator/director Hwang Dong-hyuk. COURTESY OF NETFLIX

 

[This story contains spoilers for Squid Game.]

 

At this point, Squid Game requires no introduction. The smash-hit Korean thriller series is currently sitting atop Netflix’s list of most watched shows in 94 countries around the globe. But even more astounding: Netflix says Squid Game will soon become its most viewed piece of content, in any language, ever.

 

For Netflix, the Korean show’s phenomenal success is both a pleasant surprise and a vindication of a long-held belief that distinctive, culturally authentic content travels farthest. For Squid Game‘s creator-writer-director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, the experience has been altogether dumbfounding.

 

Hwang has previously enjoyed considerable success within South Korea’s domestic entertainment industry, where he is known for a string of feature films displaying an improbable degree of creative versatility. But Squid Game is, naturally, his first taste of Bong Joon Ho-level global adoration and acclaim. And it’s all come crashing down on him over a period of just a few weeks — Squid Game only premiered on Netflix on Sept. 17.

 

Hwang’s second feature, Silenced, from 2011, gave him his first taste of viral attention. The film explored real-life incidents at South Korea’s Gwangju Inhwa School for the deaf, where young students were sexually abused by their teachers in the early 2000s. The film became both a box office sensation and a catalyst for fervent social activism, eventually resulting in local lawmakers passing a bill that eliminated Korea’s statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and the disabled. His next feature, Miss Granny (2014), could scarcely have been more different: A lighthearted comedy, the film follows a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self. Another hit, the film was later remade by producer CJ Entertainment in more than a half dozen other countries and languages. And for his most recent feature effort, The Fortress (2017), Hwang again jumped in an entirely different direction, mounting a grand period drama set during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea in 1636 — yet another critical and commercial winner.

 

Squid Game creator, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk on set speaking to actor Lee Jung-jae who plays Gi-hun. COURTESY OF NETFLIX

 

So, it’s perhaps less surprising than it might initially seem that Hwang executed Squid Game‘s candy-colored, high-concept dystopian material with such hit-making aplomb. The director famously wrote the initial script for Squid Game — then envisioned as a feature film — in 2009, whereupon it was roundly rejected by Korean studios as altogether too violent and conceptually improbable. Netflix stepped in with the green light in 2018, and the rest is now history.

 

Starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-jun, Jung Ho-yeon and several other established Korean names and newcomers, Squid Game follows a group of social outcasts who are lured by a mysterious organization into playing children’s games for a cash prize — with deadly high stakes. The ongoing global fascination with the show is minting fortunes and making mega-stars of the cast, such as fan favorite Jung, a model turned actress who has seen her Instagram following grow from a few hundred thousand several weeks ago to nearly 20 million and counting today.

 

The Hollywood Reporter connected with Hwang this week via Zoom from Seoul to talk about the painful personal origins of Squid Game‘s concept, his thoughts on the story’s deeper meanings and where he’d like to take his blockbuster series next (spoilers ahead).

 

Spoiler

What was the very beginning of Squid Game‘s creation? How did the concept come to you?

 

So back in 2008, I had a script that I had written, which I was running around with trying to get investment, but it didn’t work out and it wasn’t made into a movie. So that actually put me into a really difficult financial situation — I was broke. So I spent a lot of time killing time in comic book cafes, reading. And I read a lot of comic books revolving around surviving death games — manga like Liar Game, Kaiji and Battle Royale. And well, I read some stories about these indebted people entering into these life-and-death games, and that became really immersive for me because I was struggling financially myself. I was even thinking that I would love to join a game like that, if it existed, to make a bunch of cash and get out of this terrible situation. And then that got me thinking, “Well, I’m a director. Why don’t I just make a movie with this kind of storyline?” So that’s how it all got started. I decided that I wanted to create a Korean survival game piece in my own way. That’s how Squid Game was initially conceived in 2008, and then I wrote a script for a feature-length film version throughout 2009.

 

It’s interesting how rooted in your personal struggles the concept actually is. Were there other ways you drew on your own life in fleshing out the story and the characters?

 

Oh yeah, in fact, the names of the characters Seong Gi-hun (Squid Game‘s lead, played by Lee Jung-jae), Cho Sang-woo (the lead’s childhood friend who left the neighborhood to study at the acclaimed Seoul National University, played by Park Hae-soo) and Il-nam (the elderly competitor at the heart of the story, played by O Yeong-su), are all the names of my friends. Cho Sang-woo is a childhood friend of mine, who I used to play with in the alleyways. There are several more too — Hwang Jun-ho (the police officer, played by Wi Ha-jun, who sneaks into Squid Game to search for his brother) and Hwang In-ho (the missing brother, aka The Front Man, played by Korean superstar Lee Byung-hun) — these are the names of real people from my life too. Hwang Jun-ho is my friend and Hwang In-ho is his actual older brother, just like in the movie.

 

I infused myself into Gi-hun and Sang-woo’s characters quite significantly. Just like Gi-hun, after the failure of my movie, I had a time when I wasn’t able to make any money and I was supported financially by my mother. There was also a time when I was going to the horse races with the dream of winning a lot of money — although I didn’t steal from my mother like Gi-hun does. His character also has some bits of my uncle who used to be a real trouble to my grandmother. And like both of them, I grew up in Ssangmun-dong, [the lower-income area of Seoul’s Dobong-gu district], and my family wasn’t very well off when I was young. My grandmother used to go out to the market and set up a little street stall as a merchant, like Sang-woo’s mother in the show. And then, just like Sang-woo, I went to Seoul National University, the most prestigious university in Korea, and I was subject to a lot of big expectations from my family, and a lot of envy from those around me.

 

So yeah, my grandmother, my mother, myself, my friends, and the stories of my neighborhood are all in Squid Game.

 

Since the show’s enormous success, have you talked with your family and old friends about the fact that their names and their world are now part of this global phenomenon? What’s their reaction?

 

Yeah, they kept calling me like, “Oh my God, you used my name!” (Laughs.) Hwang Jun-ho said, “You even used my brother’s name!” His older brother is living in the States and he suddenly called him after seeing the show. Like the two characters, they were not really talking to each other that often, and his brother wasn’t coming home to visit their mother. So that is why I intentionally used those two names. It was like an inside joke between me and my friends — to get In-ho to finally call his brother and apologize for being out of touch. And it worked — it actually happened! When he called, In-ho apologized to his brother for being out of contact for so long.

 

That’s awesome. What a happy outcome. So the question everyone must be asking you: What’s your theory for why Squid Game has become so popular all around the world?

 

Well, when I began making Squid Game, I actually did target a global audience. The children’s games that are featured in the show are those that will bring out nostalgia from adults who actually played them as a kid; but they’re also games that are really easy to grasp. So anyone watching, from anywhere in the world, can understand the rules of the games very easily. And since the games are so simple, the viewers don’t need to focus on trying to understand the rules. They can instead focus on the inner feelings and the dynamics between the characters a lot more, and then they can get immersed into the whole experience, cheering for and empathizing with the characters.

 

And personally, I wanted to create a story that is very entertaining — something really fun to watch. I mean, it may be ironic for me to say that because there are some terrible atrocities that happen in the story, but I really wanted to create a story that will be immersive. And I wanted the viewers who watch Squid Game to start questioning themselves. How am I living my life? Who am I among these characters, and what kind of world am I living in? I wanted these questions to be asked. As you start watching, I want you to think, “What kind of story is this? This is all too surreal.” But then as you watch more, you will get attached to the characters and starting cheering for some of them, and hating others. And then eventually, you should have the experience of connecting it all to the real world that we’re living in. In that way, you’ll be able to draw some of the messages from the series.

 

Yeah, what about that? Do you think the way this particular show has caught on in such a profound way, globally, has anything to say about the state of the world?

 

Well, these days we are, in fact, living in a deeply unfair and economically challenging world. Especially after the pandemic. I mean, there is more inequality, more severe competition and more people are being pushed to the edge of their livelihoods. Currently, I would say that more than 90 percent of people across the world will be able to somehow connect and empathize with the plight of the characters that are portrayed in the series. More than anything else, that’s probably why the series was such a big success worldwide.

 

Squid Game’s premise often seems to entail a very dark view of human nature and how our capitalist societies are structured. But there are also glimmers of optimism and more positive hints about human nature. The show seems to revolve around the struggle between these two fundamental world views. Do you see yourself as ultimately an optimist?

 

That’s very difficult to answer. Personally, I’m not an optimist, and people around me often tell me that I’m more of a cynical type. So it’s true that the world of Squid Game is depicted in a very dark way, in a cynical way, with some very cold-eyed views on humanity.

 

Nevertheless, I believe that we cannot go on living without trust in other people — unless you choose to do wrong things and go down a dark path. This is very well depicted in the lines of Gi-hun. Right before the nighttime battle when he is approaching Sae-byeok (the female North Korean defector, played by breakout star Jung Ho-yeon) to come join his team. Sae-byeok says, “I don’t trust people.” But to that, Gi-hun says, “You don’t trust people because you can; you trust people because you have to” — meaning, we don’t have anything else to depend on. Those lines from Gi-hun are, in fact, exactly in line with my feelings. Many of us are put in situations where we cannot really trust other people. I mean, I have been put in that situation quite often. But even though that is the case, if you don’t trust other people, and if you don’t have trust in the humanity that is inside yourself, then there is really no answer for you as to how you are going to live.

 

So even though the overall situation in the world is quite grim, and even though some people will betray you, and even though you’re in a situation where it’s quite difficult for you to have trust in anyone, fundamentally, you have to strive to believe in that last glimmer of hope that is coming out of Pandora’s box. These were my thoughts. And it’s portrayed in that scene near the end, where Gi-hun is approaching the sleeping Sang-woo with a knife in his hand, and he’s preparing to stab him. This is the moment when Gi-hun was about to lose the last string of humanity left inside him. But then Sae-byeok stops him, by saying, “You’re not that kind of person.” This is the gift that Sae-byeok gave Gi-hun, by reminding him of his remaining humanity.

 

It’s well known by now that many Korean studios passed on Squid Game over the years, and you waited about a decade to get it made. So, I have to wonder what this moment has been like for you personally — seeing your long-gestating show suddenly become this global, blockbuster phenomenon, with all the media attention that entails.

 

Well, one thing I want to clarify quickly is that there seems to be this common misunderstanding emerging that I wasn’t doing anything else and just focusing on Squid Game for about 10 years, and this made us a blockbuster success somehow. But that wasn’t really the case. In 2009, when it didn’t work out for me to get the necessary investment for the initial feature film piece I was envisioning, I put Squid Game aside. And I went on to create three other movies, and all of those were successful. So, I mean, it’s not like I didn’t do anything else in between and then had this sudden blockbuster success. It’s kind of been misconceived that way in some places, so I just wanted to clarify that a bit.

 

But so, like I said, I initially thought of this piece at a time when I was really struggling — I would say it was the lowest point in my life. And all of Squid Game was written back then. So when I opened up the files again to rework it, and read through all of the scripts and the emails that I exchanged with all of the people around me back then, I actually had a moment where I broke down and cried by myself. The script itself was infused with a lot of hard memories, but then there were all of those emails where I was asking people to read the script, asking around trying to get investment, and going through a lot of personal pain.

 

A lot of hardship is ingrained in this show — but then it became a blockbuster worldwide success. So there have been a lot of different layers of feelings. Of course, I’m exhilarated about the success. And I’m dumbfounded that this could actually happen to a director like me. But then I am also reminded of the people that I was not able to pay attention to, or spend time with as much as I wanted to in the past. I had a girlfriend back then who I was not able to do very good things for, and we broke up right after I finished the original Squid Game script. So yeah, it’s been a really complex experience that I’ve had — emotionally and memory-wise — after the success of Squid Game.

 

The first season of Squid Game seems to conclude in a very open-ended way, with lots of further storytelling potential. If there is to be a season two, what are some of the threads you’d be excited to return to and explore further?

 

It’s true that season one ended in an open-ended way, but I actually thought that this could be good closure for the whole story, too. Season one ends with Gi-hun turning back and not getting on the plane to the States. And that was, in fact, my way of communicating the message that you should not be dragged along by the competitive flow of society, but that you should start thinking about who has created the whole system — and whether there is some potential for you to turn back and face it. So it’s not necessarily Gi-hun turning back to get revenge. It could actually be interpreted as him making a very on-the-spot eye contact with what is truly going on in the bigger picture. So I thought that might be a good, simple-but-ambiguous way to end the story for Gi-hun. But there are some other stories in the series that have not been addressed. For example, the story of the police officer and the story of his brother, the Front Man. So if I end up creating season two, I’d like to explore that storyline — what is going on between those two brothers? And then I could also go into the story of that recruiter in the suit who plays the game of ddakji with Gi-hun and gives him the card in the first episode. And, of course, we could go with Gi-hun’s story as he turns back, and explore more about how he’s going to navigate through his reckoning with the people who are designing the games. So, I don’t know yet, but I’ll just say there are a lot of possibilities out there for season two storylines.

 

You created, wrote and directed every episode of Squid Game yourself. That’s an enormous solo undertaking and pretty uncommon in high-end TV today. I imagine it’s rather daunting to think about doing it all over again — especially with the whole world watching now?

 

Yeah, I mean, as you said, this was a nine-episode series and I was the only one who was writing the scripts and directing the whole thing, so it was a really physically, mentally, emotionally challenging task. And the story doesn’t exactly have the simplest concept, so as we were going along, new ideas were coming to me, or I would see flaws that I felt needed to be corrected, so I was, in fact, revising the script as I was filming the whole series. So that’s partly why I had a huge amount of stress, which led to me losing six teeth during production, which I’ve mentioned in some other interviews.

 

And you’re right, the pressure on me is huge now, with such a big audience waiting for a season two. Because of all that pressure, I haven’t decided yet whether or not I should do another season. But if you look at it in a positive way, because so many people loved season one and are expecting good things for season two, there are people everywhere in the world offering their opinions about where the show should go. I could actually pull ideas from fans all around the world to create the next season. I think that’s what I’m wrestling with right now — that I shouldn’t just view it as a huge amount of pressure, but think of all of this love and support I’m receiving as a big box of inspiration that I can leverage for season two.

 

OK, last question: You mentioned earlier that when you were broke and bummed out 10 years ago, reading Battle Royale manga in cafes, you thought that if a real-life death game existed with a big cash prize, you would love to play it as a potential escape from your problems. At this point in your life, if Squid Game really existed, would you call the number on the card and sign up?

 

(Laughs.) Well, if I were in Il-nam’s shoes — the old man with the brain tumor who has only a year or two to live — I would probably seriously consider it.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

 

Squid Game COURTESY OF NETFLIX

 

Source

 

[Chocolate]

 

 

@Jasebechervaise

Some interesting trivia: the production company that produced SQUID GAME Siren Pictures has just TWO employees including the CEO Kim Ji-yeon, daughter of the famous novelist Kim Hoon. Kim also produced Hwang Dong-hyuk’s enthralling period films THE FORTRESS.

 

The company is also based in Goyang, a production hub for Korean content. Part of PARASITE was shot here, there’s been several production companies based here over the years. It’s also close to Paju where there are several studios, Netflix has leased one in the area.

*film

[Chocolate]

 

“Squid Game” Actress Kim Joo Ryoung Shares Deeper Insight Into Her Character, How She Was Cast, And More

Oct 13, 2021 by S. Cho

 

“Squid Game” actress Kim Joo Ryoung recently sat down for an interview about the drama!

 

Through her agency Just Entertainment, Kim Joo Ryoung shared stories about how she was cast for “Squid Game,” her preparations for the role, and her response to the show’s massive success.

 

“Squid Game” is a Netflix original series about a mysterious survival game with a reward of 45.6 billion won (approximately $40 million) on the line. 456 money-hungry participants wind up joining the game – only to learn that there is much more at stake than just the prize money. Kim Joo Ryoung played the role of Han Mi Nyeo, a woman who would do anything for money, both in and out of the game.

 

Spoiler

Regarding the success of “Squid Game,” Kim Joo Ryoung commented, “I predicted the project’s success to a certain degree when I first read the script, but I could never have imagined this kind of global success. It feels slightly unrealistic so I’m half full of nerves and half extremely happy. It feels like I’m having first-hand experience of the saying ‘What’s most Korean is what’s most global.’ Right in the middle of that is ‘Squid Game’ and the fact that I participated as an actress in this project is an honor and makes me proud.”

 

Just like the rest of the cast, Kim Joo Ryoung also saw an impressive rise in Instagram followers. She revealed that before the series, she had around 400 followers, and now she’s reached 1.9 million.

 

 

Rather than audition for the role, Kim Joo Ryoung was personally contacted by director Hwang Dong Hyuk. She explained, “I already worked with the director on the film ‘Silenced’ and I saw him for the first time in a while in 2019 on the set of the film ‘Collectors.’ He told me he enjoyed my acting as Seri’s aunt in ‘SKY Castle‘ and said, ‘Kim Joo Ryoung’s still got it.’ After talking about how we’ve been doing, he asked about my schedule in 2020 and mentioned there was something he was preparing. He said he’d contact me once it was materialized but I really received the script through the assistant director in early 2020, who proposed the role of Han Mi Nyeo. It felt like I was dreaming. I was really thankful to director Hwang Dong Hyuk, who boldly believed in actress Kim Joo Ryoung and proposed the role of Han Mi Nyeo without an audition.”

 

The actress also shared her first reaction to the script, commenting, “The day after I received the script, I remember I went to a café in the morning and read it from start to finish, without getting up once. That’s how incredible the immersion was. While reading the script, I laughed out loud, bawled, stared blankly, and covered my mouth in shock, so even if I didn’t notice, I bet people in the café were wondering, ‘Why is that woman doing that?’ But I was so immersed that I didn’t register my surroundings.”

 

Kim Joo Ryoung continued, “Changing our childhood games into cruel survival games was so shocking yet refreshing. I couldn’t help but be amazed at the director’s imagination and the stories and detailed inner feelings of every single character there touched my heart. I felt that it was a really impressive project that captured the restoration of humanity within the big picture of the loss of humanity.”

 

About her character, she added, “Mi Nyeo is the most dynamic character. Most severely, she’s like riding a roller coaster. While Mi Nyeo is fickle and nasty, internally she is more lonely than anyone, has the most fear regarding others, and is unable to fit in anywhere, so I felt bad and sorry for her.”

 

Kim Joo Ryoung gave more details about her character when asked how she prepared for the role. The actress shared, “Like I said before, unlike Mi Nyeo’s strong and rough exterior, she’s a character who internally has the most fear. She’s scared of a lot. Mi Nyeo is also loud and talks a lot. Although she acts like she’s performing a loud monologue on stage, Mi Nyeo just doesn’t want her true feelings to be exposed to others. That’s why Mi Nyeo pretends to be tough, is loud, and has a lot to say. Ultimately, it felt like she was saying, ‘Please look at me.'”

 

Continuing, Kim Joo Ryoung remarked, “I hoped that these aspects would appear as her own desperate ways to stay alive and that there would be some people who would feel bad for her and support her. I didn’t decide on one thing and act accordingly. I just did my best to enter this extreme situation with Mi Nyeo’s feelings and try to survive. I still get teary because I feel bad for Mi Nyeo. I feel sorry for her.”

 

 

 

Looking back on her past 20 years as an actress, Kim Joo Ryoung also talked about how she wants to move forward in the future. She shared, “20 years… it’s been quite long. ‘Squid Game’ is a project that gave me a lot of happiness and excitement throughout the process. While we were filming, going to set made me happy and excited, and I did my best for everything, so it’s a project I have no regrets for. Results-wise, it’s also the project that allowed to public to learn my name. I figure that it’s a present for acting without giving up for the past 20 years. And like I always did, I will work on each project one-by-one. I think there are now a lot of expectations for Kim Joo Ryoung’s future activities so there’s a bit of pressure and I’m a little scared. I want to act now while enjoying myself a bit more and I think that I should repay [the support] with responsible and good acting. Kim Joo Ryoung will just continue to move forward diligently. Like always.”

 

Lastly, the actress commented, “Thank you for loving ‘Squid Game’ and supporting actress Kim Joo Ryoung. Please always be healthy and I promise to find you again through many other projects. Thank you so, so much.”

Source

 

[Chocolate]

@netflix

Squid Game Profile Icons are now on Netflix and I'm immediately changing to Sae-byeok!

 

 

I chose Front Man 😂

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Chocolate

[Chocolate]

theswoonnetflix

Which friendship hurt you the most?

 

 

Spoiler

 

For me, I bawled for #4. That was a real sacrifice.

 

[Chocolate]

 

 

‘Squid Game’s Wi Ha-Jun On Acting Behind A Mask, Jun-Ho’s Fate, Netflix Series’ Success & What’s Next

By Brandon Choe | October 12, 2021 5:00am

 

It was very late at night in Korea when Wi Ha-jun popped on a video call to chat with Deadline about his role in Netflix’s mega hit Squid Game, and how his life has been turned upside down since the Korean-language series entered the cultural stratosphere last month.

 

For those who live under a rock, Squid Game is a survival drama set in Seoul, where hundreds of financially strapped contestants signed away their life rights to play children’s games for a chance at winning a $38 million grand prize. Lose any round and be prepared for a grisly death.

 

Since debuting last month, the series directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk quickly reached No. 1 on Netflix in 90 countries within its first 10 days. Currently, Squid Game is on track to become Netflix’s biggest non-English-language series and possibly supplant Bridgerton’s as the streamer’s biggest show of all time.

 

Wi plays Hwang Jun-ho, a rogue police officer who accidentally stumbles behind-the-scenes of the modern-day Hunger Games. His mission to find his lost brother quickly shifts gears as he’s confronted with an impossibly heinous game that uses human lives as entertainment.

 

Netflix

 

A scene-stealer despite his few lines, Wi spoke with Deadline through a translator about the hidden beauty of the gruesome series and why he thinks it resonated with an international audience. He also reveals the difficulty of acting behind a mask, and what we can expect next from the rising Korean star.

 

Here’s the full interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.

 

Spoiler

DEADLINE: Squid Game has really blown up since its Netflix debut. How has that affected your day-to-day and what has been the craziest thing that happened to you since it dropped?

 

WI HA-JUN: I would say the craziest thing that happened to me is having an interview right now with one of the biggest media companies in the world. I also went on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon which was quite crazy. I’m receiving tons of messages from fans around the world on my social media account. All of these events are really surprising and new to me, and that fills my heart with joy all the time.

 

DEADLINE: You’ve appeared in much lighter titles, including 18 Again and Romance Is a Bonus Word, which have a different tone than Squid Game. What struck you about Jun-ho’s character that made you want to join this series?

 

WI: I like this genre myself and I was so fascinated by the script, revealing this shocking event from the eyes of an owl – as an outsider. That was what captured me and was why I decided to join the project.

 

DEADLINE: Because it’s such a departure from the roles you’re used to, what did you learn about yourself as an actor in Squid Game?

 

WI: I actually didn’t realize it at first, but there were a lot of people around me who told me that they absolutely loved the tone of my acting and liked the gaze I showed in the series. I received a lot of compliments and realized that could be my strength in acting, so I hope to implement it into my performances going forward.

 

Netflix

 

DEADLINE: Your character has a strong moral compass with a passion for justice. How does Jun-ho fit your personality as opposed to other roles you’ve had in the past?

 

WI: I have quite a lot of similarities with Jun-ho. To start with, I have an older brother who is very friendly with me. I also put high value in the orders, rules and disciplines that are in this world. I was told often that I should become an officer, soldier or a legal practitioner.

 

DEADLINE: Beyond the different tone, you were also behind a mask for the majority of the season. Which scene was the most difficult to shoot given those conditions? How did you prepare for that?

 

WI: The fact I was wearing the mask for the majority of the series was quite challenging, particularly the acting underneath the mask. I was going into the shooting with a lot of tension. Even if I try hard and perform with my facial expressions and my gaze, it didn’t come through outside of the mask. When I’m acting hard, it doesn’t really show well on the screen. I had to make excessive gestures to compensate for the loss of my facial expression and gaze. For example, I would turn my head more dramatically.

 

The most challenging scene to shoot was the one where I made an underwater escape wearing scuba gear. I haven’t mentioned this in interviews, but I have a serious fear of water. It took a lot of time to overcome that fear. I took quite a few swimming lessons to shoot that scene, but I was able to complete it well so I’m very happy about the outcome.

 

Netflix

 

DEADLINE: There were emotional performances from your castmates Lee Jung-jae and the brilliant Anupam Tripathi. In contrast, you played an unflappable character whose mission was to solve his brother’s disappearance. Do you think it was important to act unemotional in his journey?

 

WI: I think that is the most important aid in his journey because if you look at the situations that Jun-ho was in, he is there as an intruder and had to hide his identity. If he was over-reactive and showed movement, then he would have been caught. It was quite important for my character to know how to act in such a manner so that he would be able to achieve his goal.

 

Lee Jung-jae, Anupam Tripathi

Netflix

 

DEADLINE: If Jun-ho had to play in the games, what would he be good at?

 

WI: I used to be a runner in my younger days and I’m good at controlling my body movements so I’d excel in Red Light, Green Light.

 

The actual Squid Game is in fact not the kind of game that I played as a child because it’s from an older generation. But if I had to partake, I’d probably be good at that too.

 

Netflix

 

DEADLINE: Season 1 left Jun-ho with an ambiguous fate. If he did survive, how do you think he did it? What do you think his next steps are after that revelation about his brother?

 

WI: I’m dying to know what happened to him. I want him to return alive, find his brother and ask him tons of questions. As a brother, I would ask him sincerely. As a detective, I want to explore the overall secrets behind the game as well. I really hope to see Jun-ho come back alive and explore all these questions. I hope to see a more brotherly-love side of their relationship as well.

 

DEADLINE: So, you hope to see some reconciliation with your brother in the show?

 

WI: Reconciliation, I don’t know. I will have to hear why he made certain choices.

 

Netflix

 

DEADLINE: How is the reception of Squid Game in Korea? Over here they’re playing the show’s soundtrack in bars and kids are dressing up as guards and players for Halloween.

 

WI: I think the reception is quite the same in Korea. When I go on set for my new role, I get inundated with questions about my character’s fate or if they can get props from the show like the guards’ masks. There are many people who are talking about getting dressed with the green or pink suit from the game for Halloween.

 

DEADLINE: Are there any type of projects or roles would you like to work on next?

 

WI: The project I’m currently working on depicts a character that is rough, comedic and cute at the same time. I hope a lot of viewers enjoy my new character from my new series. If given the chance, I’d hope to take part in an action project as a special agent or a military officer. I’d also be interested in playing the role as a friendly villager.

 

DEADLINE: What do you think is the most rewarding aspect of this gory and dark series?

 

WI: I would say the most beautiful part about this gory story is the arc of the protagonist, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). He always thought about other contestants and was the least selfish. He took care of others until the very end, even when his life was on the line.

 

Netflix

 

DEADLINE: Why do you think Squid Game has exploded in popularity the way it did? Obviously, the cast had some part with it, but what about the themes and messaging?

 

WI: I think it was quite fresh to depict children’s games from the olden days, which was quite nostalgic, especially when they were used for life-or-death situations.

 

In the game scenes, you saw greed and uglier human aspects inside all of the participants which reflects what we see in the real world. The show depicts the frustration that is deeply rooted inside people who are living in the modern world. Our society is becoming even more capitalistic, with competition becoming even more severe. That’s probably why the story resonated with so many.

 

Netflix

Source: Deadline

 

[Chocolate]

 

 

https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=022&aid=0003628647

 

[Chocolate]

 

 

[Chocolate]

I wonder how this value is measured since Netflix is a subscription service. Also read that the production doesn't gain if a show is popular, just as it does not lose if it is not popular. As more dramas and movies get released online, they probably need to work in some sort of "bonuses" in future, especially if they lose all rights.

 

 

Netflix Projects ‘Squid Game’ Will Generate $891 Million in Value, According to Leaked Data

By Todd Spangler | Oct 16, 2021 9:13pm PT

 

Noh Juhan/Netflix

 

“Squid Game,” the hyper-buzzy Korean drama that has become Netflix’s biggest-ever TV show, is on track to deliver an astounding payback for the streaming service, according to the company’s internal estimates.

 

Netflix paid $21.4 million for the nine-episode series, which premiered four weeks ago, and the company estimates “Squid Game” will deliver more than 40 times that — an estimated $891 million — in what it calls “impact value,” Bloomberg reported Saturday evening, citing confidential internal data that someone provided to the outlet.

 

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to Bloomberg’s report, a lawyer for Netflix told the news outlet that it would be “inappropriate” for Bloomberg to publish the confidential data contained in the documents.

 

On Friday, Netflix fired an employee who admitted they downloaded internal data and shared it outside the company, which is a violation of the streaming giant’s policies. The info included financial data for “Squid Game” and Dave Chappelle’s stand-up special “The Closer,” for which Netflix allegedly paid $24.1 million. The Chappelle special has become a lightning rod for critics upset about his homophobic and transphobic comments in “The Closer” and has led to a planned employee walkout on Oct. 20. The Netflix employee who leaked the data may have been motivated by a desire to tarnish the company’s image, by revealing that it paid more for “The Closer” than “Squid Game,” its new top-performing worldwide hit. The pink-slipped staffer was the only employee who had accessed data for the programming that was later cited by Bloomberg.

 

In the 23 days since the Sept. 17 debut of “Squid Game,” 132 million Netflix households streamed at least two minutes of the show, according to Bloomberg’s report. About 89% of those viewers watched at least 75 minutes (i.e., more than one episode) and 66% of them — or 87 million — finished the entire series within the first 23 days of its release. Overall, Netflix users streamed more than 1.4 billion hours of “Squid Game” over that 23-day period. (Note that Netflix’s measurements aren’t verified by a third party.)

 

In “Squid Game,” set in modern-day South Korea, 456 desperately debt-stricken contestants compete in a deadly competition of mysterious origin, pitting them against each other in a series of children’s games for the chance to win 45.6 billion won (about $38.5 million) in prize money.

 

“Squid Game” creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk said he intended the series to highlight the growing wealth gap in the modern world. “I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life,” he told Variety in an interview last month.

Source

 

More at Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-17/squid-game-season-2-series-worth-900-million-to-netflix-so-far

Edited October 17, 2021 by Chocolate

[ssteph]

 

 

[Chocolate]

Interview with Lee Jung Jae with English subs.

 

 

[Chocolate]

Director on Good Morning America.

 

 

[Chocolate]

 

 

[Chocolate]

Game Theories

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by Chocolate

[Chocolate]

This is 😢

 

 

“Squid Game” Star Oh Young Soo Explains Why He’s Turned Down All His Commercial Offers + Moves Lovelyz’s Mijoo To Tears

Oct 17, 2021 by E. Cha

 

In his first television appearance since starring in the hit series “Squid Game,” Oh Young Soo opened up about his life philosophy!

 

After entering the international spotlight through his unforgettable performance as Oh Il Nam in “Squid Game,” the veteran actor appeared on the October 16 episode of MBC’s “How Do You Play?” for a special interview with Yoo Jae Suk and Lovelyz’s Mijoo.

 

Despite skyrocketing to fame in the blink of an eye, Oh Young Soo has remained impressively down-to-earth in the month following the release of the smash hit drama. The actor has famously turned down all the commercial offers he’s received thus far, including an offer to star in a coveted fried chicken commercial.

 

Describing his reaction to the “‘Squid Game’ syndrome” that has been sweeping the globe, Oh Young Soo explained that he’s being extra cautious in the wake of his newfound popularity. “I feel like I’m floating on air,” he remarked. “It makes me think, ‘I need to calm down, organize my thoughts, and hold myself back right now.'”

 

“So many people have been contacting me [since the release of ‘Squid Game’],” shared the actor, “and because I don’t have a manager to help me, it’s hard for me to handle the volume of calls and messages I’ve been receiving. So my daughter has been helping me.”

 

Oh Young Soo added, “Now that I’ve suddenly risen in popularity, some of my [fellow actors] have been calling me, like Park Jung Ja and a few others.” When asked what Park Jung Ja had said to him, he replied with a laugh, “[She asked,] ‘How does it feel to become a world star?'”

 

As for how “Squid Game” has impacted his everyday life, Oh Young Soo remarked, “Things have changed quite a bit. Even when I go out to a cafe or somewhere like that, I now have to be aware of [how I appear to others]. It’s made me think, ‘Being famous is tough, too.'”

 

 

In a recent interview, Lee Jung Jae praised Oh Young Soo as a “senior actor with a youthful mindset,” but the veteran actor humbly responded, “I was the only older cast member [in ‘Squid Game’], and all the other actors were young. Since I was among them, I went overboard in pretending to be young in order to match their energy.”

 

Mijoo asked if the “Squid Game” cast actually played the dalgona game amongst themselves between takes, and Oh Young Soo replied, “There were some actors that did that. While filming this drama, it felt like all the actors were returning to their childhoods. We had fun playing like grown-up children. It was a happy time.”

 

 

Later on, Yoo Jae Suk asked Oh Young Soo to share his thoughts on how he believed life ought to be lived. The actor responded, “Our society often only acknowledges first place, as if everyone else doesn’t matter. As if only first place exists, and second place is meaningless. But even though second place lost to first place, second place also beat third place. So everyone is actually a winner. That’s why I think a true winner is someone who is working hard at the things they want to do and attempting to reach a certain state on the inside. I feel like that kind of person is a winner.”

 

“I don’t have any grand ambitions,” he continued. “Big or small, I’ve received a lot of things while living my life. Now, I want to leave behind those things that I’ve received. To put it simply, let’s say you go to a mountain and see a flower. When we’re young, we pick the flower and take it for ourselves. But by the time you reach my age, you leave it there exactly as it is, and you go back to see it again later on. It’s the same with life. Leaving things exactly the way they are. It isn’t easy.”

 

As Oh Young Soo spoke about his personal philosophy, Mijoo was so moved that she was unable to hold back her tears.

 

Source

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by Chocolate

[Chocolate]

So cute!!!

 

 

[stroppyse]

On 10/14/2021 at 7:35 PM, Chocolate said:

For me, I bawled for #4. That was a real sacrifice.

 

I bawled for #4, but it was #2 that hurt me the most.

 

 

Other thoughts, I always thought Wi Ha Jun is very good looking, but I think I've learned to appreciate him as an actor rather than just another pretty boy as well.

[Chocolate]

I used to play with paper dolls when I was a kid!

 

Source: Netflix Korea

 

[Mizv]

People are still talking about squid game daily around me…. It’s starting to drive me crazy.  I have heard the sentence SO many times. episode 6, episode 6 episode 6. 

i must be abnormal.  I watched squid game and moved on. 

[Chocolate]

This actor has wise words. At his age, good opportunities are rarer. I hope he reaps the rewards of Squid Game's popularity.

 

 

[Chocolate]

Oh dear

 

 

[Chocolate]

 

 

The VIPs were undeniably the worst part of the drama. But it seems, VIP 4, the one who removed his clothes 😬 has written 32 Beatles books and has received sexual invitations from males and females 😖😂

 

Links here:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/19/they-didnt-just-pick-us-up-off-the-street-meet-the-globally-derided-squid-game-vips

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4843468/Bizarre-foul-mouthed-rant-actor-Geoffrey-Giuliano.html

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by Chocolate