Image Source: UnGeek, When In Manila, Tatler Asia

The survival Korean drama Squid Game positively shook the audience of the West, especially by becoming the most-watched show on Netflix. With Korean cinema making leaps in the industry each day and powerful watches like "Parasite" and "Minani" paving way for a show with Squid Game's magnitude to become a cult favorite, it is exciting to see what further masterpieces the industry has in store for a collective world audience. 

The cast of the show has taken to saying that both "Parasite" and "Minari" had their own role to play as it readied the audience for one more Korean watch. Actor Park Hae-soo shared, “I think the foundation of that is how Korean content like ‘Parasite’ and ‘Minari’ was so well received and they were loved by so many people, that it kind of almost paved the way for ‘Squid Game’ to be received the way it did in the United States.” The actor plays Cho Sang-woo in the survival series. 

The Netflix cast, along with the director, recently met Variety for an inclusive interview hosted by Jenelle Riley. The Variety Streaming Room episode presented by Netflix welcomed Squid Game stars Lee Jung-Jae and Jung Ho-Yeon, followed by the director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the production designer Chae Kyoung-sun and the music composer Jung Jae-il. 

Lee, who got to play the most influential protagonist on the series, Seong Gi-hun, shared the moments leading up to the realization that Squid Game had done well at a global level. He said, “When I started seeing the reaction videos on YouTube about ‘Squid Game’ and then when I saw their very real facial expression watching the show, I think I really started to feel that.”

Hwang added how the show's very relatable message on capitalism has made people like the show even more. The director said that “you are left with this very strong message — almost like a warning about a capitalist society,” and this message has generally been received well by the audience.

Apart from talking about the dynamics on the sets of the series, actors shared their subjective perspectives and approaches when they took to play their extremely varying characters. Actor Lee shared that he initially was not sure how to portray his character and said, “If they went in with too serious of a tone for the character, it’s just going to bring the whole thing really down.” Further explaining his approach, he revealed, “I wanted to bring a sense of lightness and almost a clumsy part to the character.”

Similarly, Park shared that he tried to bring the sense of a dual nature of being in his character, who receives a famous character arc on the show. He said, “Everyone, they have a sense of irony and duality within themselves, right? I just think that Sang-Woo is somebody that this irony was expressed to the extreme.”

While all the actors did a fantastic job, it was Jung's character portrayal that shocked people the most. If you have been keeping tabs on the young actress, you must know that Squid Game was her first attempt at acting, and the model totally did justice to her role. Sharing that she felt a little scared at the beginning of portraying the role, the actress said, “I was daunted, thinking that, ‘Am I going to be able to pull this character off really? Am I going to be able to express this wonderful character?’”

Squid Game has become the most-watched Netflix series, Credits: Deseret

Hwang had earlier shared with Variety that the majority of his inspiration for the series came from Japanese Comics. He revealed that the idea for Squid Games has been in his head since 2008, as he said, “I freely admit that I’ve had great inspiration from Japanese comics and animation over the years.” He continued, “When I started, I was in financial straits myself and spent much time in cafes reading comics including ‘Battle Royale’ and ‘Liar Game.’ I came to wonder how I’d feel if I took part in the games myself. But I found the games too complex, and for my own work focused instead on using kids’ games.”

Explaining more about the story, the simple kids games used in the lethal battle of winning money and becoming rich quickly, Hwang said that the universal relativity of the characters truly drove the factors for the series towards success. He enunciated, “I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we’ve all met in real life.” 

Explaining why he used children's games and not something complicated with complex rules, he shared, “As a survival game, it is entertainment and human drama. The games portrayed are extremely simple and easy to understand. That allows viewers to focus on the characters, rather than being distracted by trying to interpret the rules.”

The director also shared how he came across the idea of the series. He said, “In my earlier days, I’d drink half a bottle of soju to get the creative juices flowing. I can’t do that anymore.” Hwang added, “Writing ‘Squid Game’ was harder than normal for me as it was a series, not a film. It took me six months to write and rewrite the first two episodes. Then I consulted verbally with friends and picked up clues for improvements through my own pitching and from their responses.”

Though Squid Game is a giant success and South Korean cinema, music and TV are currently the favorite genres around the globe, the country has its own problems to contend with, and Squid Games is more or less a representation of that too. “Outwardly, Korean entertainment seems to be doing very well. Think of BTS, ‘Parasite,’ ‘Gangnam Style’ or ‘Crash Landing on You.’ But South Korean society is also very competitive and stressful. We have 50 million people in a small place. And, cut off from the continent of Asia by North Korea, we have developed an island mentality,” said Hwang. 

“Some of that stress is carried over in the way that we are always preparing for the next crisis. In some ways, it is a motivator. It helps us ask what more should be done. But such competition also has side-effects,” explained the director. 

While the director is yet not sure if Squid Game would return with Season 2, he is busy creating more masterpieces for the Korean cinema industry. Presently, Hwang is working on "KO Club," which will be serving as a draft for "Killing Old Men Club."

Despite simple set-up, Squid Game is made terrifying using life-ending odds, Credits: Polygon

The director also revealed, “I don’t have well-developed plans for ‘Squid Game 2.’ It is quite tiring just thinking about it. But if I were to do it, I would certainly not do it alone. I’d consider using a writers’ room and would want multiple experienced directors.”