Squid Game 3 Acteur Park Sung-Hoon Talks Season 3

Spoiler alert: This article contains large spoilers from season 3, episode 2 of “Squid Game”, which now streams on Netflix.

When Park Sung-Hoon filmed the Doodscène of Cho Hyun-Ju during the memorable match of “Squid Game” season 3 of hide and seek, he succeeded in surprising himself by immediately nailing it.

‘Director Hwang [Dong-hyuk] Gave me a direction and said, “If Hyun-ju slips away from the camera, could you let a tear roll over your face?” And I thought it would be difficult, but I actually did it in one take, “Park says Variety. “So when I finished it, the staff all clapped and cheered for me.”

But that does not mean that farewell has said, especially because the death of Hyun-Ju takes place so unexpectedly early in the season. “I recently played many villain characters, so I was lucky that I could play Hyun-Ju, who is such a cool character,” says Park. “It was very difficult for me to say goodbye to her, because I thought she would last longer. I think she died sooner than she should have done, so it’s a shame.”

Hyun-Ju was introduced in season 2 as one of the most important players in the new competition, with the aim of using the cash prize to finance its sex treatment after being fired from the army. Trusting on her training, she works with Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae) and becomes an instrumental leader in the uprising. Variety Previously, Park spoke about the preparation that a trans -personage as a CIS actor played.

After the rebellion of Gi-Hun failed at the end of season 2, episode 2 of this last season starts with half of the players forced to kill another player, while the hiders try to find the exit. Hyun-ju immediately stays with the older woman, Jang GEM-JA (Kang AE-Sim), and the pregnant Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-Ri), all of whom are in the same team. Along the way, Hyun-Ju is forced to kill players from the opposite team and shows off her military training. When stumbling over the exit, she goes back to save Geum-Ja and Jun-Hee’s newborn baby before she is stabbed by Lee Myungi-Gi (Yim Si-Wan).

Below Park breaks the decision of Hyun-Ju to sacrifice itself, what it meant for a trans-character to witness the birth of the baby, and how the actor continues to think about the warm reaction of the LGBTQ+ community to the character.

Can you talk about the big emotional scene when Hyun-Ju finds the exit, opens the door and decides to go back, eventually sacrifice themselves to save the other two women? What is going through her head at that moment?

When she finds the exit, it was just an automatic reaction for her to take a step. But I think her motivation shifted from seasons 2 to 3. In season 2, her most important motivation was to get the money so that she could get her sex operations, go to Thailand and start again. But in season 3 her great motivation protected the weaker woman here, GEM-JA and the newborn baby of Jun-hee too. So when she took a step outside, I think there was a wake -up call in her head to tell her back: “You have to protect these people.” So I think that the only thought that remained in her head at the moment was to save them. I remember that I was limping and very damn, walked back to the room, and I now feel very emotional, actually, to that scene, because it was such a sad and heartbreaking moment.

What was the experience like filming that death scene? Was it the last scene you shot?

The last scene I filmed was when I was photographed by the organizers of Squid Game. The scene in which Jun-Hee gave birth was so special for Hyun-Ju because the birth of a life is so sacred and holy. Especially when a transwoman I think Hyun-Ju would have many emotions in her that look in her look at that event. When Myung-Gi puts me in my back and kills me, there is a line in the script that says: “Hyun-Ju’s soul leaves her eyes.” So I tried to stay faithful to the script.

Before the death of Hyun-ju we also see her in action and we kill two other players from self-defense. What preparation was the choreography for those violent scenes?

Before we started the scene, we went to Action School to start the basic training, and then we learned the Choreo for that scene. We have made a little adjustments to the set, but we actually followed the choreo that was given to us. And one of the two actors with whom I fought in that scene actually spent seven years in a Chinese temple called Shaolin Temple, known for martial arts. So that guy was so competent, he knew how to act and respond. Together with him I knew that I could create a very cool scene. The most important thing when I was filming that scene was that Hyun-Ju really wanted to protect GEM-JA and the newborn baby, and to do that, she had to kill these people. But she is actually a very cordial person and has a very good moral compass, so I thought she would hate to kill these people, even if she has to. So I thought about looking away while stopping because she didn’t want to see that she actually killed someone. So every time she cuts someone, she looks away.

That is really an interesting choice. I also loved the moment when you, after killing the last player, traced the blood on your face. Another player in the red team thinks he is trying to kill you, but decides to go on the course because they are too sacred.

Director Hwang was actually very enthusiastic about that scene, because he told me that when Hyun-ju sweats the sweat and blood is colored over her face, she looked bad. We went for 10 or more takes to make her look really cool in that scene. And as you said, there is the other player who just comes by and decides not to fight me. I think that is very funny is a scene that shows Hyun-Ju’s charisma and aura. So that is also a time when I am dear to my heart.

The whole set for the Hide and Seek game is incredible and feels so overwhelming. Can you talk about how extensive it was? It all looks very practical.

The set for hide and seek was actually only one floor. It seems that it has several floors when you look at the show, but that is all done with CGI. The umbrella concept for the hide and seek was the ocean. And you know how the ocean is the route to all life, it gives all life, and Jun-hee gave birth in that setting of an ocean. So I thought that was useful.

I know you said Hyun-Ju died earlier than she should have done. Now that the series is packed, what do you think about where you left the character? Do you feel that you have to do her justice?

It is always difficult to say goodbye to your characters, but it is especially difficult if it is Hyun-Ju, who is such a cool character and such a nice person. It was very difficult for me to say goodbye to her, especially because I received so much love and support from fans around the world. And I think I am a cisgender actor who plays a transgender character, it also has its meaning to a certain extent, because we are all people, we deserve the same amount of love and respect. Although I am a cisgender actor who plays a transgender character, the LGBTQ+ community Hyun-Ju saw under a very positive light. They loved her, respected and supported her, and I am just so grateful for what they did for her.

It feels important that Hyun-Ju died next to the first person who accepted her as Trans, as well as GEM-JA, who lasted much longer to accept her. There are two different perspectives that eventually come together for her.

The goal for the three women was the same: protect the newborn baby. It was like women’s solidarity together. And as you said, Geum-ja took a little more time to warm up to Hyun-Ju and to accept and embrace her as her friend and family. She goes through that transformation, and I think that is really important. If there are people who still have prejudices and prejudices against the LGBTQ+ community, I hope they would warm up on it, just like Geum -Ja.

This interview has been edited and condensed.