Lee Jung-Jae breaks the death of Gi-Hun, hard diet,
Spoiler alert: This article contains important spoilers from the series “Squid Game” series, which now streams on Netflix.
The Seong Gi-Hun of Lee Jung-Jae has always been the beating heart of ‘Squid Game’, and his ultimate sacrifice enables the fourth final to let a flash of humanity shine through.
Lee spoke with Variety About the day he learned the fate of Player 456, his conversations with ‘Squid Game’ maker Hwang Dong-Hyuk about the Serief final and his hope for Gi-Hun’s daughter.
What do you think of the end it is in the world?
Now that it was all released, I think the end was absolutely something that much of the audience did not expect to see. I know there are many people with a wide range of different opinions over the end, and I follow them all. I know that many of you like to express what you thought of the end on social media, so I try to check them all.
What were your first feelings when you first heard how the show would end?
I received the whole script for seasons 2 and 3 at the same time and I read everything on the day I got it. Then I learned about the fate of my character and the end. I was also very shocked, because it wasn’t something I expected to see. I remember that I spoke a lot about this end with director Hwang, and I asked him: “Did you have different endings in mind? Were there different versions?” And he told me he was thinking of other endings. However, he shared with me that he believed that this was the right way to end the story of ‘Squid Game’. He also shared with me that I should not regard the sacrifice of Gi-Hun as just a sacrifice itself, but what if we could consider it as something that shows or symbolizes hope for humanity?
Your last words are so powerful, and they are also cut off, which is unique and leaves the interpretation for the public. Why does it feel when you look back on those last words that we hear from your character?
That was part of the many conversations between the director and me, and we thought a lot about how the audience would respond to Gi-Hun who made his choice before he finished what he said. I remember that, even on the day we shot that series, I went through his head a lot. I think he is also considering another version of Gi-Hun to finish what he said. I also thought a lot about different versions of it. But I believe that director Hwang wanted the public to finish the sentence in their own way and in their own interpretation. I believe he has designed the scene and the series, so that the end of the meaning of the entire audience is, and they are the ones who will finish it with their own emotions and their own journey.
What was the most challenging scene for you to film this season?
Of course it was that very last scene, that last moment of Gi-Hun. I had had a very strict diet for about 14 months prior to that point. Especially in the past two months I had an extremely hard diet compared to before we shot the series. I had lost about 10 kilograms of my normal weight. I really wanted to make sure that I not only expressed the emotions of Gi-Hun, but I also wanted the audience to know how completely dry and exhausted he was just at him. I also remember that we had to shoot that last moment for a long time. It took much longer than you would expect on that film day. That was the only scene we could photograph, so it was extremely important and also very challenging.
What is your hope for the daughter of Gi-Hun? Do you think she discovers the truth about what happened? Do you think she makes the her mission to bring the LA games down?
When I think of the storyline “Squid Game”, I would like to see Gi-Hun’s daughter dismantled the entire system. But on a personal comment, I hope she learns nothing about the truth of all this. I hope she knows nothing about her father. I wish she would lead a very happy and stable life with her stepfather and mother.
This interview was conducted through an interpreter and was processed and condensed for clarity.
