Squid Game has seen Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun do everything from painstakingly extract an umbrella from a flimsy cookie to jump his way over an extremely fragile glass bridge – all under the deadly threat of elimination.
But, some of these games are harder to shoot than others in the Netflix show, as Lee reflected at a Squid Game season 3 press conference attended by GamesRadar+.
“Some games are very physically demanding, and then others are very emotionally demanding,” said Lee. “And if I look at all of the games from all the way back in season 1, all the way to season 3, I think each of them have their own unique color, and I have different memories of each game.
“I think that as actors we were also able to feel such a wide range of different emotions for each game, and I think that means that that’s just how much of a wide range of emotions we wanted the audience to feel along the way as well,” he continued. “Physically speaking, Red Light, Green Light was quite demanding.”
Red Light, Green Light is probably the show’s most iconic game, featuring that giant, creepy doll and a time limit to cross the finish line. But, if you move when the doll turns around, you’re dead.
“Because in season 1, I went into shooting the game not knowing really what to expect, both emotionally and also physically,” Lee explained. “At times I would feel very awkward, and it was quite challenging, I have to say. But then in season 2, when we shot Red Light, Green Light again, I had to play this role of having to convince all 455 other players to listen to me, so I would always be quite screaming at the top of my lungs. I almost felt like a classroom president trying to quiet down a huge, loud classroom.”
(Image credit: Netflix)
That’s not the only game that was difficult, though. Season 2’s Mingle, which sees players forced to group up in random numbers and lock themselves behind doors before the clock runs down, came with a different sort of challenge.
“And I would say the other game that was most emotionally challenging was Mingle, because you are in there with these other players. To some, you have to embrace, and then the next minute, you have to neglect them all of a sudden,” Lee added. “And then even when you get into the room, if the number is not right, you have to end up killing someone. And at the last stage, when you are looking out of that small opening in the door, you have to watch other people die in front of you. So I think the entire emotional arc of that game was quite demanding and challenging.”
Squid Game season 3 arrives on Netflix this June 27. In the meantime, fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix shows, or see our roundup of all the most exciting new TV shows still to come this year.
