The director of the South Korean Netflix series ‘Squid Game’, which everyone has been talking about lately, thinks that the story has both very personal and relevant aspects.
Streaming online drama-movie streaming platform Netflix on September 17, starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Hoyeon Jung, and Wi Ha-joon, one of the country’s youth, Gong Yoo, also played a small but influential role. In the 9-episode ‘Squid Game’ series, 456 characters who have seen the bottom both financially and morally are trying to reach the big prize by playing some children’s games.
Speaking to CNN, director Hwang Dong-hyuk also said that all of these games were a part of his childhood. “We’ve all played these simple and childish games at some point,” he said. Stating that among the games he played as a child, the squid game, which gave its name to the series, was the most difficult, Hwang said, “The game that requires the most physical endurance. Every time we played, someone would get injured, torn or crying. We would always play it as the last game of the day,” he said.
About the roots of the story
When he is an adult now, “How would it be if we could go back to those days and play those games again?” According to Hwang, who says that the question is the starting point of the entire series, the story reflects today’s ‘competitive society’. “This is the story of the losers. The story of those who falter and fall behind in the face of life’s difficulties while the winners level up,” said Hwang, adding that the story is actually very personal.
About two main characters
Explaining that the two main characters, Seong Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo, were named after their childhood friends, Hwang said, “They represent two sides of me. Just like Gi-hun, I was raised in Ssangmun-dong by a financially struggling single mother. At the same time, like Sang-woo, I studied at Seoul National University (one of the most prestigious universities in the country, ‘Seoul National University- SNU’). The whole neighborhood praised me, they had high expectations from me”.
About second season
Explaining that the process of bringing the drama to life was an intense experience for him, and 6 teeth fell out due to stress, Hwang said about the second season of the drama:
“Writing and directing a series is a big job in itself. I’m actually worried when I think I’m going to have to do the same things in season two, but a lot of people are eager for a second season, so I’m thinking about it.”
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