The phenomenal show's star Lee Jung-jae finds his way back to the series that took Korea — and the world — by storm.
Like Lee Jung-jae, the Emmy-winning actor who portrays him, Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun is a winner. Unlike the 455 other individuals who participated in the series’ titular sadistic competition, he survives, leaving 45.6 billion won richer. Yet in the highly anticipated second season of the thrilling series, Gi-hun improbably finds himself back in the deadly game once more.
“He went through all of that in Season 1, so how would he feel when he returns to the [Squid Game] dormitory and opens his eyes for the first time?” Lee asks, explaining his approach to the character in the new episodes. “He could be shuddering, or have this burning motivation to make it out alive.”
The same could be said about Lee as he returned to Squid Game for Season 2. Soon after the Korean series debuted in September of 2021, it quickly became a global juggernaut, earning legions of fans and massive amounts of critical acclaim. It made history at the Emmys with 14 nominations, including the first-ever Outstanding Drama Series nod for a Korean series, going on to win a total of six prizes, including Lee’s. Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globes rained down, too, like heaps of cash into a gigantic piggy bank.
With the series — created, directed, and executive-produced by Hwang Dong-hyuk — remaining Netflix’s most-watched show, the expectations for the second season were immense. Despite the pressure, Lee — who previously appeared in titles including Chief of Staff and Svaha: The Sixth Finger — resolved to focus on bringing further depth and nuance to his character as he returned to the world of Squid Game. The upcoming episodes see Gi-hun meet a colorful ensemble of new challengers and work to bring down the cruel individuals behind the competition.
Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae)
I think, throughout my acting career, it was one of the most emotionally overwhelming sets I’ve ever been on.
Lee Jung-jae
“Gi-hun must have thought a lot about the faces of those who didn’t make it the last time he was in the dormitory, those who were no longer with him,” Lee says of his character, a struggling divorcé who, in Season 1, lost his ally Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) and was forced to murder his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo). “The waves of complicated emotions would have overwhelmed him.”
“When I entered the set [for Season 2], all of those emotions that I had imagined — I could feel them physically,” he continues. “I think, throughout my acting career, it was one of the most emotionally overwhelming sets I’ve ever been on.”
Focusing on Hwang’s creative vision helped guide Lee. In Season 1, the pair mostly discussed Lee’s questions, but this time around, the actor says, he dedicated himself to understanding “what Hwang wanted to express and [then made] every effort to bring that to life.”
Unsurprisingly, Hwang, who describes Gi-hun as someone “brimming with energy and curiosity,” served up a different sort of challenge for his lead actor, asking him to explore new facets of the character.
“Lee had to redirect his [optimistic] energy for Season 2,” Hwang says. “It’s one of the biggest risks and differences between Season 2 and the first season, but the evolution in his character is crucial. In Season 2, Gi-hun is driven blindly by this one goal of tracking the culprits down and bringing them to justice. He becomes possessed by it, which leads to certain consequences.”
Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae)
The gravity of Lee’s performance impressed his castmates. Lee Seo-hwan — who plays Gi-hun’s longtime pal in Season 1 and has a larger role in Season 2 — calls his co-star’s work in the second season “awe-inspiring.”
Similarly, Lee Byung-hun, who plays the mysterious Front Man and first worked with Lee two decades ago, adds, “He is a peer who I share a long history and friendship with, so I very much enjoyed working with him again — I felt proud that both of us have become seasoned, older, and more serious about acting.”
Despite their offscreen camaraderie, the characters that the three actors portray are on a collision course in the show’s second season, something Lee never forgot as he was working with his scene partners. (The Front Man, in particular, is key to keeping the game churning.) “The most important thing was Gi-hun’s mindset,” says the actor, “how he’s so determined to make sure those who made all of this happen will be punished.”
“Even though he doesn’t have power or a clear strategy to solve the problem, one thing he knows for sure is that this must never happen again,” Lee concludes. “That mindset played the biggest role in his motivations this season. He has a strong sense of purpose that he has to change it all.”
