On December 27, Netflix Korea’s official YouTube channel posted a video of Gong Yoo’s acting in “Squid Game.”
In the video, Gong Yoo’s character plays a sinister game with two trembling men tied with ropes. This game involves playing rock-paper-scissors with both hands and then selecting one hand to determine the winner. Gong Yoo explains: “The loser will face punishment” adding, “You may have heard of Russian roulette. We load a bullet into a revolver that can hold up to six bullets. Then, the trigger will be pulled while pointed at the loser’s head.
Gong Yoo demonstrates pulling the trigger on himself, then observes: “The chance of dying is 1 in 6, while the chance of survival is 5 in 6.” Locking eyes with each participant, he gives a chilling smile full of madness. After three shots in which no bullets were fired, Gong Yoo, apparently dissatisfied, says, “Let’s change the odds” and loads four more bullets into the revolver.
Gong Yoo’s riveting performance captivated viewers, with netizens showering him with praise, leaving comments like, “Gong Yoo’s acting is crazy. He’s like a psychopathic Korean Joker”, “His performance is groundbreaking”, “I held my breath watching this scene”, “He raised expectations for the show from the first episode”, AND “The way he pulled the trigger on himself so nonchalantly gave me chills.”
On the other hand, TOP, formerly of BIGBANG, also plays a character with a wild streak in “Squid Game2”. His portrayal of rapper Thanos, however, received rather lukewarm reactions.
In particular, online communities criticized his performance and rapping, with comments such as: “I wanted to stop watching as soon as I heard his first line,” “I cringed and turned it off,” AND “It was embarrassing to the point of discomfort.”
Meanwhile, “Squid Game 2” premiered on Netflix on December 26.
