Not Playing Games: “Squid Game” Star Lee Jung-jae on Gi-hun’s Transformation in Final Seasons

Season 2 of Squid Game revealed protagonist Gi-hun’s desperate transformation from spirited and naïve recruit to traumatized and hardened champion. The iconic wide smile he flashed in his player photo has faded with the knowledge that more lives are on the line. Actor Lee Jung-jae appreciated the new depth his character has developed.

“I was really drawn to that personality of Gi-hun, where he is quite optimistic. He always finds a reason or a moment to smile despite those brutal things that are happening around him,” Lee reflected on season 1. “But as he goes through the first round of games, he witnesses so many tragic and brutal deaths. He is now a changed person, filled with vengeance and a strong conviction to find those behind the games. I just loved being able to portray someone who has gone through such a drastic change.”

Despite emerging from Squid Game with his life and the cash reward, Gi-hun has been consumed with returning to the games ever since his victory. He isn’t eyeing another swipe at the prize money. This time, he is determined to save the players and shut down the operation forever.

The web of deception and betrayal grows as the show reveals more about the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who leads the games, the Pink Guards, and the deceptive means used to hide and protect the island.

“It was interesting and fun for me, actually, to see the response from the audience,” Lee shared. “They were so rooting for Gi-hun. They didn’t want him to be deceived. People were like, ‘Why are you befriending that guy? He’s the bad guy!’ Hearing those responses, I realized how audiences were rooting for Gi-hun, how much they wanted him to achieve his goal.”

The frustrations that the disenfranchised players feel in life are reflected in the games. The organizers have more power and more secrets to maintain control over the competitors. In season 2, viewers are clued into one of the most dangerous traps that remains unknown to Gi-hun. The Front Man, In-ho, has infiltrated the games and keeps Gi-hun under his thumb. The tension between the two men has been one of Lee’s favorite storylines.

“The way that the Front Man wants to control people, and he continues to tempt [Gi-hun] within the game and continues to confuse Gi-hun,” Lee observed. “I think that side of this character was just as intriguing and entertaining. Just looking at that unique characteristic between these two characters and wanting to find out who is going to come out as the winner, right? It was almost like a game within a game. I think that was very much Director Hwang’s intention. I love to see that unfold.”

Gi-hun returns to uniform #456 with greater wisdom and new strategies. As he bravely warns the players about the true nature of the competition, they become better armed to strategize. Some use the knowledge benevolently, while others manipulate the rules to prey on competitors. They realize that they can not only gamble with their own lives, but also the other contestants’.

There is a new incentive this season for exiting the game. Enough votes will reward players with dismissal and a split of the accumulated prize money. However, greedy participants and the Front Man’s manipulations from the inside divide the voters into opposing camps. Gi-hun must make quick alliances with new players.

Gi-hun reunites with his estranged best friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), who recruits fellow marines into their ranks. Together, they convince a core group to vote for leaving the games early, but alive. Among them are Hyun-ju (Park Sung-hoon), Dae-ho (Kang Ha-neul), and Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri). Lee explained that Gi-hun’s new relationships were easy to develop because of the experiences they share.

“I think it was easy to make that connection with these different players who came to the game due to very unfortunate circumstances, but they were hard-working people who wanted to escape that by their hard work,” he explained. The characters are new to the fans, but they are portrayed by some of the most respected actors in Korea.

“When you look at the cast that were brought in to play these new characters, every single one of them is an actor in the Korean industry who is known widely to be the most talented batch of actors,” he said. “When you hear their name in Korea, you know that they’re going to be bringing amazing performances. They’re just amazingly talented people. From an actor’s perspective, to be able to work with such a talented group of people, it was truly a huge joy for me.”

As the players turn on each other, Gi-hun stays focused on his goal – to dismantle the operation permanently. Infighting and rebellion erupt, increasing the death toll and disrupting the scheduled games. The season 2 cliffhanger seems to suggest that the games may be off for good as chaos reigns, but a post-season clip of Young-hee “The Doll” facing down a new companion hints at more challenges to come. Lee confirms that the most difficult game lies ahead.

“In the first season, it becomes really difficult for Gi-hun as these episodes go on, both physically and mentally. I would say that the most difficult game I had to shoot was the last game of the first season, which is Squid Game,” Lee reflected. “I think of all of the seasons all together, the most challenging and the most difficult one was the last round that will be seen in season 3. That was the most difficult to shoot.”

Despite the bloody connotation the games now carry from the show, friendly versions have become popular among fans. Lee delights in this homage to the excitement people have for Squid Game. He explained that because they are designed for younger players, it’s easy for new players to understand and learn the rules.

“I know that each country has its own set of different children’s games, and I heard that while the names of the games or exact directions may be different, actually a lot of cultures have very similar games,” he explained. “If you look at all the games – all the way up through season 3 – the rule of the game is always very simple because, as we know, they are children’s games. We believed that no matter where you are, it would be very easy for you to understand because the rules were simple. To see the games in Squid Game go viral, there are these videos of people actually trying to play the games. Watching all of that is really fun for us to see. To see people playing gonggi these days and marbles and finding additional joy outside of the series with those games, it makes us really happy.”

The game continues June 27 with Squid Game season 3 on Netflix.

Featured image: Squid Game S2 Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in Squid Game S2 Cr. No Ju-han/Netflix © 2024