Why Squid Game’s Success Makes Lee Jung-jae “Hugely Sad”

By vinayak Last updated Nov 7, 2022 0

Emmy Winner Lee Jung-jae Star Worries That Art Is Imitating Life A Little Too Closely When It Comes To Netflix’s Squid Game.

Squid Game was a serious sensation, a critically acclaimed crossover hit, a pop culture punchline, and a ready-made Halloween costume all rolled into one.

It was also, remember, a dystopian horror full of prescient commentary on capitalism. Like The Hunger Games before it, Hollywood frequently misses the point (or perhaps proves it) by gleefully buying into the entertainment value of bloodsport.

But star Lee Jung-jae has definitely not forgotten the Netflix series’ message.

Speaking to The Guardian about the show’s massive success, the actor says, “I’m happy about it, of course, but it’s bittersweet.

Yes, it’s great that audiences are consuming Korean content around the world. And they appreciate it. But if you think about the themes of Squid Game–how far are we willing to go to accumulate personal wealth; the lengths people are forced to go to–the fact it resonated with so many around the world is worrying.

You Get A Sense This Is The Reality For So Many People Globally. And That Makes Me Feel Hugely Sad.”

Lee won an Emmy for his role on Squid Game, at a ceremony that also featured an appearance from the show’s giant, murderous doll as a comical gag.

Yet actually participating in those deadly scenes was far from humorous. “[We] had to express the experiences of these characters being pushed to those extremes,” he shares.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lee jung jae (@from_jjlee)

“Doing that? It was terrible. The more beautiful the game set was, and the more childish and fun it seemed, the more horrific it was for the characters, and therefore us as actors.”

“I do think about what happened in that show,” Lee says of the series’ impact. “It’s impossible not to. And it made me think about what I’m not doing. Many of us live obliviously. It made me rethink how I look at the world. It couldn’t not.”

It Took Lee Four Years To Get The Film Made.

There were endless rewrites to the storyline and then the script, with which he hopes to make viewers question how and why their beliefs are formed. Initially, Lee had no intention of directing it.

“I approached various directors to take it on,” he explains, “but when I set out my vision for the film many said I was asking too much.” Each, he says, had their own reasons for declining the opportunity.

“It deals with some actual events from Korean history, which is complicated,” Lee says, starting to count off a list on his fingers. “Another thought that maintaining the balance of two lead characters would be difficult.” The action sequences were vast; depicting 1980s Washington DC, Korea (North and South), Thailand and Japan was too great a task. “You name it … ,” Lee smiles. “So, in the end, I had to direct it.

American Reporter Receives Mixed Responses After Asking "Squid Game"'s Lee Jung Jae An "Ignorant" Question - Koreaboo

It is a bold time, therefore, to be making a directorial debut. Especially with a film that’s so ambitious – in concept and delivery. Would he do it again?

Lee takes a minute to think. “Let me just say,” he says, laughing now, “it wouldn’t ever be easy to make an action-packed film where I act and direct at the same time again. Another genre quite possibly.”

Even for a grafter like Lee, it turns out that being simultaneously in front of and behind the camera for explosive set pieces is probably a one-off experience.

Hunt is in cinemas now.