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‘Squid Game 2' Cast on Connecting With Fans and Relating to Their Characters: ‘Thanos Isn't A Villain, But He Is A Man-Child'
'Squid Game' creator, director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk joined production designer Chae Kyoung-sun, editor Nam Na-yeong and director of photography Kim Ji-yong and members of the 'Squid Game 2' cast (Lee Jung-jae, Kang Ae-shim, Park Sung-hoon, Lee Byung-hun and Choi Seung-hyun) for a panel and screening on Friday night that was part of Netflix's FYSEE LA series.
When it came to choosing which seemingly-innocent schoolyard games would become death traps in the second installment of his dystopian black comedy, Hwang says he looked for challenges that would force players to vote en masse.
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'An important theme I wanted to explore in the second season was the notion of elections,' said Hwang. 'So many free democratic countries around the world are choosing their leaders, and therefore their futures, through the act of casting a vote.'
'Elections exist to provide the right direction for society to head in, but as we all see, it's actually leading people to even further division and hostility – almost the opposite way of what it was originally intended to do. I really wanted to poke at the theme of majority rule in elections within the liberal democratic world, and pose the question: can [democracy] truly bring us down the right path? Is it capable of allowing us to choose the right leaders?'
For Park Sung-hoon, who plays Cho Hyun-ju (a special forces agent ostracized by her peers when she came out as a transgender woman) joining the cast of 'Squid Game 2' allowed him to form a deeper bond with an understanding of the LGBTQ+. community.
'[The fans] have given me so much support and love despite me being a cisgender actor playing a transgender character,' said Sung-hoon. 'I think the world is becoming a better place for the LGBTQ+ community, but prejudices and biases still exist, and Geum-ja is a character who represents that kind of attitude towards the community.'
'But later on in the show, Geum-ja warms up to her, she embraces her as one of her friends and family. I hope the viewers feel the same way about Hyun-ju, warming up to her as family. In season three, we go through a lot together, so we develop an even stronger bond.'
Sung-hoon wasn't the only newcomer impacted by the show's writing – Choi Seung-hyun, (a rapper and former member of the K-pop group BIGBANG) says understanding the psychology of his character Thanos helped him reflect on his own past.
'Thanos and I have some common ground, as a rapper who went out second in a competition show and had drug issues,' Seung-hyun explained. 'While you might think of me as a successful rapper, I also had my failures, so I had to come face-to-face with my past mistakes when I was looking at Thanos. It took a lot of courage for me to take on this role, but Director Hwang put so much trust in me.
'I don't think Thanos is a villain, but he is a man-child,' Seung-hyun continued. 'Playing this character, it was an opportunity for me to self-reflect on my past and think about what I've done wrong. Through 'Squid Game,' and Thanos, I feel like I'm ready to move on to a new chapter of my life. I learned so much from him.'
The day after the FYC event, the 'Squid Game' stars walked the red carpet, where Lee Jung-jae told Variety he still wants to see Leonardo DiCaprio on the show. Watch the video below to hear what he had to say.
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