“Squid Game” main character Player 456 may have slipped on the iconic green tracksuit and returned in the show’s upcoming second season for another round in the murderous survival game. But he’s no longer focused solely on his own win, now carrying the weight of his fellow contestants on his shoulders.
Lee Jung-jae, who reprises his role as game winner Seong Gi-hun in the new season that begins streaming on Netflix on Dec. 26, said that this time around, his character is darker and more serious after a traumatic first season.
He told NBC News he also has a mission to save others who have joined the high-pressure, high-stakes game. The character development even prompted the actor himself to evolve, he said.
“When actors really immerse themselves into their characters, I think sometimes their values can shift according to what the character thinks,” Lee said in Korean through a translator. “‘Squid Game’ really talks about justice and how to bring people together. And I really thought about that a lot, too.”
In the upcoming season, a traumatized Gi-hun gives up his plan to hop on a plane for the U.S. with his winnings. Instead, he chooses to re-enter the game three years later with the sole purpose of putting an end to it. Surrounded by a new crop of players, Gi-hun looks to protect them all from the violence that comes with the tempting game winnings of 45.6 billion won.
While the first season features a rather optimistic Gi-hun, still naive to the depth of the game’s horrors, the second season shows a hardened man, who’s only focused on his noble task. And with such universal themes at play including greed, humanity and temptation, Lee said he hopes that fans find the show not only entertaining, but also an opportunity for introspection.
“I hope that people watching the show would also have some time to reflect on human nature and think about whether we are on the right path — if we are on the path to making the world a better place, or are we going the other way around,” Lee said.
The upcoming season, which has already received a Golden Globe nod for best drama series, was no less daunting to make than the show’s first, wildly successful season. Lee said that he was equally stressed, bringing the two versions of Gi-hun to light. And director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who said he lost seven teeth while making the first season, said the show was up against some high expectations and noise this time.
“Because season one was so globally loved, when it was decided that there was going to be a second season, it’s true that I felt a huge amount of pressure,” Hwang said. “So many people out there were saying, ‘Season one was perfect. Why don’t you just end it with season one?’”
Hwang added that there were concerns he would “disappoint the world” and ruin his reputation with another season.
“But rather than have that weigh negatively on me, I tried to use that as a creative catalyst and a drive for me,” he said.
