The memories from the set and the second season: the tales of the protagonist and the creator of Squid Game

The memories from the set and the second season

The twentieth edition of the Florence Korea Film Fest and the sixth vintage of Canneseries - which were held in Italy and France close to each other - had as protagonists, respectively, the protagonist (Lee Jung-jae) and the author ( Hwang Dong-hyuk) from Squid Game, the most watched and talked about series of 2021. Korean actor Lee Jung-jae boasts a thirty-year career and was already an icon at home thanks to the role of the undercover cop in the dark gangster movie New World; from today those who have not been able to see it at the cinema in the films in the Fkff program, can admire it in another dark noir, Deliver Us From Evil (Deliver Us From Evil), thanks to Amazon Prime Video, this time in the part of a madman ( and stylish) villain that the interpreter wanted to be “As unpredictable as possible. I wanted the audience not to be able to frame it. And that he appreciated his look as I did ”.

Lee Jung-jae in Deliver Us From Evil About Squid Game, he explained that he agreed to return to work for the small screen because Hwang Dong-hyuk (his The Silenced who ten years ago shocked the audience of the Far East Film Festival in Udine) - "Nobody would miss the opportunity to work with him", but not to expect such popularity: "Before I was famous only in Asia, now I often go to the USA, I win prizes, they offer me roles in American films and people recognize me. This increase in popularity doesn't bother me, on the contrary ”. To be honest, he has declined offers to act in the United States, but only because it is taken from his first personal project as a director, Hunt: “Later I wouldn't mind acting in Europe, maybe in Italy. There are so many wonderful locations here ". "Thanks to on-demand platforms such as Netflix, Korean productions that were difficult to find abroad are within everyone's reach," he commented, "like Italian films and series, which were not very accessible in Korea, are now available in large amount on online channels, not only thanks to Netflix, it is also thanks to Amazon and Disney + visible in many countries around the world. "

Lee Jung-Jae Daria Ivleva - FKFFDi Gi-hun, her character in Squid Game, explained during a masterclass:" At first he is weak, but then he evolves, thanks to a humanity and an empathy that others bring him closer to. Squid Game players think only of themselves, but he tries to collaborate with others by showing that in some cases you can only win with the help of others ". Lee is adamant that “You have to be a good person. Beautiful things happen if you are a beautiful person, the people around you notice, help you and offer you jobs ". To those who ask him for the umpteenth time for a comment on the allegations of violence in the show (the children emulate the games) he replies with infinite patience and a laconic dig at the educators: "I don't understand how these kids have had access to the vision of the series, which is forbidden to minors…. "On the childhood games played in the series, centered on 456 wretches who risk their lives for a huge prize by trying their hand at the deadly versions of One, two, three stars, tug-of-war and so on, he recalled:" My favorite as a child was Dalgona , because in the end you could eat the biscuit, and if you won they would give you another "and added:" Unfortunately during the filming of that scene it was hot and the biscuit melted: it was a feat! ".

Lee Jung Jae in Squid Game NetflixOn the second season of Squid Game - who will be there and what will happen - Lee Jung-jae does not know much:" Hwang Dong-hyuk leaves no room for intervention to the actors. The script of the first season was almost perfect, there was no space for the cat's initiatives because every detail, even the dialogues, was designed so that everything - situations and characters - was connected. "At the end of the first year, we see Gi-hun with fiery red hair, a sign of rebellion:" In Korea it is not like yours; a middle-aged person would never be dyed that color, society would criticize him and would not find a job ". Speaking of cultural differences, we reminded him that a recent k-drama very popular in South Korea, Vincenzo, describes Italians - and the mafia in particular - in an unlikely way that reflects the point of view and stereotypes according to the Koreans. “I haven't seen Vincenzo, and perhaps he didn't paint Italian culture truthfully, but I don't think cultural barriers are insurmountable, quite the contrary”. Going back to the final scene of Squid Game, “Gi-hun manifests her rebellion and the ending suggests that she will return to the Squid Game to prevent it from happening again, so I think the new episodes will go in that direction. For sure I know that Hwang has many surprises and twists in store, but we actors have no say in the matter ”. If he could decide what he would like his character to do: "I would have chosen not to play at all", was his wise answer.

Instagram content This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from .

Hwang Dong-hyuk, during his time at Canneseries, confirmed that Lee Jung-jae will be in the second season, as will Lee Byung-hun (the mysterious and cryptic "Front Man"), but he has even admitting that he "only wrote down three pages of the new script". A few weeks ago he revealed on the red carpet of the PGA Awards that he also wanted Jung Ho-yeon (North Korean Kang Sae-byeok) to return to the series, "I'm excited he took her out. But maybe you will see her again as her evil twin. "In Cannes she added instead:" If I can handle the stress that involved making the first season of which I wrote all the episodes "he explained," the second will see the light at the end of 2024. To make the first one I suffered seven months: it was hell, so this second season could be my last television experience. "First he will deal with the film KO Club - Killing Old Men Club - where" people of a certain age "and inspired by a story by Umberto Eco, before returning to focus on Squid Game, for which he says he has" even bigger games in mind ".