It seems the world can’t stop talking about squid game, even months after its 2021 premiere. With recent history-making Emmy nominations, director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is thinking back to the process of making the K-drama. The mastermind of Squid Game discusses finding his protagonist, and then in one moment he realized that Seong Gi-hun wasn’t a villain at heart.
Seong Gi-hun Makes Bad Life Choices in ‘Squid Game’
South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae brought the role of Seong Gi-hun to life in Squid game. The somewhat protagonist of the K-drama isn’t the sin-free angel you’d expect. He didn’t make the best impression on the first meeting. Fans saw him have a gambling problem and not be able to keep a job or his money. Above all, it upset fans when he asked his mother for money.
The money was intended to pay for a birthday present for his young daughter. But the temptation of gambling gets the best of Gi-hun. He makes a bet and wins even more, but loan sharks go after him, beat him and steal his earnings.
With no money and other options, his plans to keep his promise to his daughter are thwarted. In order to give her something as a present, he will win a prize at the grappling machines. Gi-hun is by far not the most moral person in the world or squid gamebut Hwang reveals that the claw game scene convinced him that the character was still good at heart.
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Gi-hun’s Jubilee Of Winning A Gift For His Daughter Made Him An Antihero In ‘Squid Game’
There is no denying that the participants in the Games are not angels and have committed their mistakes. Gi-hun is no expectation and became the anti-hero of the K-drama. In an interview with the LA Times, Hwang explains that the claw scene convinced him that Gi-hun would be a character fans would resonate with.
“There’s an early scene where you see Gi-hun when he’s lost his money and he doesn’t have much left to buy a present for his daughter, so he goes to that place where you can pick the dolls into the machines , sadly Hwang. “You see him being incredibly happy, holding and hugging the boy who does that for him. The moment I saw Jung-jae play that scene, I was completely convinced that people would definitely fall in love with this character. To see that pure, childlike joy in this middle-aged man, I could imagine Gi-hun being himself after participating in the game as well. As flawed as he was – he would continue to steal it money from his mother – the people would see that purity and beauty that he has in him.’
The squid game director explains Gi-hun’s conflicting morality, and his life choices made the character complex. Gi-hun is one who “regrets” his decisions. If Gi-hun were a hero from the start, he would be “one-dimensional and superficial.”
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Lee Jung-jae was perfect for the main character in the K-drama
Despite Hwang’s reputation on the big screen, he admits that he was impressed with Lee. When he sent him the script for the K-drama, Hwang was excited that the actor was interested. He has heard many “no” answers since 2009.
Hwang and Lee are about the same age, the director is in his early 50s and Lee is 49 years old. Since his twenties, Hwang Lee has seen one of Korea’s household names appear on screen.
“For about three decades, as he starred on screen in charismatic roles, there was something I saw in him playing these flawed characters that really stood out, that I found extraordinary. That sense of humor. I thought it was the would be the perfect mix to bring Gi-hun to life,” explains Hwang.
Like the rest of the world, Lee can’t stop praising the squid game creator and the story he created. The K-drama has come a long way to make history. Hwang is still stunned by the success, but admits: “I think the journey of making” squid game is more dramatic than the show itself.” The same can be said about squid game Season 2, as Hwang was busy writing the script during the Emmy nominations and said it will be challenging to pick up the success story.
RELATED: ‘Squid Game’ Season 2: Fans Theorize New Storyline With Front Man and Gi-hun