Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix’s “Squid Game,” but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was “really difficult” to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, “‘Oh no! How sad! I won’t see you tomorrow,’ but I was always smiling inside.”
“Squid Game” season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don’t know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
“I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge,” said Hwang, who spoke with the AP about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
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AP: What have you learned from “Squid Game”?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn’t give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
AP: You’ve already finished filming season three of “Squid Game.” Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I’m afraid to talk about it but it’s a feature film taking place 10-20 years in the future. It’s darker than “Squid Game.” It’s going to be quite cruel, quite sad, but at the same time quite quirky and humorous.
AP: What films and TV shows do you enjoy?
HWANG: I used to think you had to have a specific taste to be cool, but I actually think I’m very omnivorous. I like to watch anything. When I’m on the couch watching TV, sometimes I watch CNN or Fox News. And then National Geographic and nature documentaries, I also watch some very soapy Korean shows or reality TV as well. I hop around and watch everything that’s kind of happening in the world. With a series, I often don’t stick with it the whole way through. There’s only about like five shows that I watched until the very end, like “Breaking Bad” and “Why Women Kill.”
AP: Would you ever want to direct a U.S. production or Hollywood actors?
HWANG: Of course. I studied film school at the University of Southern California and there are so many people I’d love to work with. I have had those offers since “Squid Game,” but because I’m a writer-director I think I’m best when I’m working with Korean actors, giving direction in Korean with my Korean script. But, if I come across an amazing scrip, why not? I’d love to work with Jake Gyllenhaal.
AP: There are more characters in season two of “Squid Game.” Why is that?
HWANG: With seasons two and three, I had more screen time for more characters. This time around we have a lot of younger characters. When I was creating season one, I thought it was very hard for you to be up to your neck in debt when you’re only in your 20s or 30s. I thought you had to be at least middle-aged to need money and want to join the Squid Game. But the world has changed. Now I feel like there are less decent jobs for young people and they feel like working hard doesn’t even get them to middle class. They want to hit the jackpot, so that’s why they invest in cryptocurrency. In Korea, there are a lot of young people in their early 20s or 30s turning to online gambling. I wanted to show what society really is like today.
AP: Season two of “Squid Game” has already been nominated for a Golden Globe which is a good sign. Can you say anything about season three of “Squid Game”?
HWANG: It’s better than season two.
