‘Thank you for dying': ‘Squid Game' creator, cast share deeper meanings of hit Netflix series, reveal on-set flower ceremonies for ‘killed' actors

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It's a good time to be alive for Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, and Choi Seung-hyun (aka T.O.P.) — even if not all of their characters are still alive at the end of the smash Netflix hit's second season (R.I.P., Thanos).
Beyond the modest feats of becoming a worldwide phenomenon and Netflix's most-watched series ever, the South Korean import about a secret, deadly competition that lures 456 desperate people to risk their lives to entertain the uber-wealthy has also become a major awards threat.
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Following its premiere in September 2021, Season 1 nabbed 14 Primetime Emmy nominations (including Best Drama Series), with Lee Jung-jae winning Best Actor, Drama and Hwang winning Best Director. Squid Game also made SAG Awards history, becoming the first non-English nominated for Best Ensemble, Drama.
Season 2 bowed to much fanfare in December, and, based on the latest Gold Derby odds, could very well be in the Emmys mix once again this year, just as the show's hotly anticipated third and final season debuts on June 27.
In exclusive interviews with Gold Derby (through a translator; watch above), director Hwang and cast spilled secrets from behind the scenes of Netflix's global sensation.
Netflix
Hwang: As you know, I didn't have plans for a second season when I was working on the first season. But because of the huge success, and also because of so much love and support from the fans of the first season, it almost felt like destiny because there were so many people who wanted to know more about what happened to Gi-hun after he turns away from the flight. They wanted to know more about that story. So I accepted my fate. And when we first set out, I began writing Seasons 2 and 3 as a single season. But along the writing process, I got the feeling that this was going to become a longer story than I had originally thought of. So what I had expected to be about eight episodes worth of a story, I knew that it was going to stretch into something more than 12 episodes, which is why we decided that it needs to be two seasons. And going into it before I began writing, I did have some concerns about it, especially because I was quite tight on time. However, as I started to write it, I got really motivated, to the point where I was able to finish the first draft for all 13 episodes within six months, which actually surprised myself as well.
Netflix
Lee Jung-jae (Seong Gi-hun/Player 456): So we actually had a screening event yesterday night. It was Season 2, Episode 6. And then we had a panel talk on stage. And they told me that I have so many memes because of Squid Game. … I was very, very thankful for that, and I was really happy because I got to thank them in person for creating all those memes about me. And that means that the fans really enjoy the show in so many different ways, and it's their way of interpreting how they saw the show. It's almost like a spin-off of their own creation. … Sometimes when I see all these memes, it's like they're rooting for me to do more.
Lee Byung-hun (The Frontman/Hwang In-ho, Oh Young-il/Player 001): So in Season 1 I was behind my mask, I only had like a brief cameo appearance. But in Season 2 I got to take off my mask and join the game as another person. So I loved playing different personas in Season 2, including Frontman; Young-il, the fabricated player that I created for myself; and In-ho, [my] true self before joining the Squid Game. … It was very challenging but very exciting for me as an actor to take on. It was very fun.
Netflix
Park Sung-hoon (Cho Hyun-ju/Player 120): Hyun-ju being a transgender is just one of her many, many traits. She's selfless. She's compassionate. She has very soft charisma. She's brave. She has leadership. I think she's just a very amazing person. And as a cisgender person playing a transgender character, I did have my concerns about the community not wanting that. But director Hwang cast me because it was very hard to find a transgender actor in Korea.
Netflix
But I saw the global reaction [that] if the transgender character is this cool, then [they] were down with that, and welcoming that. So I'm very grateful that people are feeling that way. And while we are working [against] all the prejudice, I do know that there are prejudices and biases that still exist in the world. And as [attitudes] changed [toward her] over the course of Season 2, I hope viewers would feel the same way about it, and I would love to contribute to that.
Kang Ae-shim (Jang Geum-ja/Player 149): So I am a big fan of Yang Dong-geun, the actor who plays my character's son, Yong-sik. He used to be a child actor, and then he became a musician. He's a great actor. I think he's truly an artist. If you listen to his songs, you'll know right away that he is a genius artist. And I saw him in a TV show called Do As You Please, and I instantly became a big fan of him. And when I heard that I'm going to be performing together with him as mother and son, I thought that everything I hoped for is now there. I do not need to hope for anything else.
Netflix
And I remember the first table read that we had together, and we just hit it off instantly. And I remember he was doing a little peekaboo, when he was coming in saying hi to me, and it was adorable. I didn't even need to prepare for my chemistry with him because it was just instantly there. And we enjoy fermented fish together … we both love it. So we would go to great restaurants to eat the fermented skate. So we have a bond in real life, too.
Park Sung-hoon: When when the camera was not rolling, they would hold hands and cuddle together.
Choi Seung-hyun, aka T.O.P. (Choi Su-bong/'Thanos'/Player 230): I actually do have a lot of fans in their pre-teens or teens [from my music career]. But now they know me more for being Thanos, not being part of the group BigBang. And I asked them once, and one of the fans told me that they love Thanos because he's so optimistic. And while he is a villain, he's not like a very villainous villain, but I think he's more of a loser guy. He's got a few screws loose, and he's a little bit clumsy. I think that's what makes him a little bit adorable to people.
Netflix
Kang Ae-shim: He's also sort of naïve and innocent.
Park Sung-hoon: Although he's very naughty, he could come off as a little bit naïve, too.
Lee Jung-jae: For Season 1 it was really about the competitive world that we live in. For Season 2, it's more about the democratic voting system. Does it really work? Because are taking sides, grouping together, clashing against one another. So there's that added layer of political message to it. And then Season 3 will come to you with another message. And I think these social and political messages were resonant not just in Korea only, but through the entire global community. It's things that we have to deal with, with all our might together. … And I loved how there's that virtual cycle of us bringing questions to the table, and people would think about it, they would talk about it after watching Squid Game, and then those conversations will circle back to us, the creators and cast, and we can add that to our next season.
Lee Byung-hun: People use different languages, they have different cultures, but I think we feel the same way about people taking sides. Director Hwang said there's a voting system that's supposed to be free and democratic, but does majority always make sense? Is it always right? So these are the topics that we talk about and I think are issues that are very metaphorically and allegorically dealt with in the show. … But I think the one message that we really wanted to get across, the one that I really resonated with, is losing benevolence. Are we staying very humane in this world? And how much hope do we have left in humanity? Are we veering toward making a better place? These were the questions I really resonated with.
Netflix
Hwang: I didn't go into it wanting to have messages, whether political or social, at the forefront. First of all, I wanted to create a show that was entertaining to watch, that people could enjoy. And I did have these certain thoughts where after you enjoy watching the show, I wanted the show to give audiences some food for thought, maybe some conversation starters after watching it together with people that are close to you. Maybe you could talk about some of the themes that are explored in the show. I thought that that would be a nice bonus.
Park Sung-hoon: So in Korea, just generally there's a tradition when someone wraps production, we would give them a bouquet of flowers and also give a big round of applause to them. But it was ironic for Squid Game because if you're leaving the set, that means you're dead. So it was kind of ironic to give them a bouquet of flowers and clap for them, but we did that anyways.
T.O.P.: And what's funnier is that the one who's got the biggest smile bringing the bouquet of flowers is director Hwang. He's so happy to kill off people. He says, 'Thank you for dying. There are less days to go in the production.' So he's very happy to see all these people die. And I think that's really funny. He told me that he was most happy to see less bunk beds in the dormitory because when we take one away, that means one more person died.
Netflix
Hwang: Sadly, we couldn't do it for all 456 players. Because, as you know, there are some days where just too many people are killed off. But at least for the characters that fans all know and remember, on their last day, because we shot in chronological order, for the most part, that would be their death day. So, as a sign of goodbye, saying that you did a great job and we're sad to see you go, we would clap and then present them with flowers. But I have to say, it was quite an odd day because for me as a director, I'm always happy to see a character be killed off because it makes my work on set so much easier. But then, they're very sad that it's all done. So it was a mixture of many different emotions.
Lee Byung-hun: So for me I think it's going to become more clear as time passes, but after releasing Season 2, I could really feel the love and support of the fans. So many people called me up and congratulated me. I could see memes going viral on the internet. So I really felt this show is transcending cultures and languages and boundaries. … Before, in my career, I've had some opportunities to participate in Hollywood movies [the G.I. Joe movies, Terminator: Genisys], but this one is even hotter from the reaction of fans compared to those movies. So I'm just very proud that a Korean show created by Korean staff members and Korean cast would do so well globally. And I think it's going to open up even more opportunities for me going forward, so I'm hoping for that.
Lee Jung-jae: So I've been doing Korean projects mostly and I'd be meeting Korean fans, or mostly Asian fans. But this show truly traveled globally. So I get to talk to people all across the globe about the show, which I really enjoy. It's a tremendous joy for me to be able to communicate with different people about the show because I feel like fans of different places, different countries have different perspectives. ... So I truly feel like the earth is becoming one hyperconnected world. ... So I'm just really happy that we are communicating very globally about this show, and this experience is going to help me whenever I'm doing other projects.
Hwang: It's going to be a mixture of everything you can imagine. It's going to be more brutal, more violent. It's going to be darker, and even funnier. … If I have to pick one season out of all three [as] my favorite, the best season is going to be Season 3.
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