The second season of the Netflix series “Squid Game,” which caused a global syndrome in 2021, chronicles the fierce battle between Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae) and Frontman (Lee Byung-hun) after returning to the game. In the second season, Frontman takes off his mask and participates in the game as the contestant 001 called Oh Young-il, increasing the tension of the drama.
After the release of “Squid Game 2”, Lee Byung-hun, who played the Frontman, gave an interview and shared his feelings about the series.
Regarding the good results of “Squid Game 2”, Lee Byung-hun said, “I think all the people who worked hard on this project would feel so gratified seeing the positive responses from viewers. I feel the same.”. He added, “I once mentioned in an interview while visiting the United States for ‘GIJoe’ that the ideal life as an actor, for me, is to be recognized by people in certain places. I thought the same thing after ‘Terminator’ too, but no one recognized me there. This time I went to the United States with a different feeling. Right before the release of “Squid Game 2″, I went there for several promotional events and also attended a stadium event. I got to experience fan enthusiasm that I had never felt with previous Hollywood projects. Once again it made me realize how extraordinary this project is.”
Answering the question, “You came to Hollywood a long time ago, so is there any different feeling about visiting the United States with Korean content?”, Lee Byung-hun said: “When I did other projects in Hollywood, I thought the applause I received was the loudest, but this time the applause was actually the biggest. It’s different to come here with a Korean project together with my Korean colleagues and receive such a warm welcome. I feel so touched and overwhelmed. I have had many experiences with Hollywood projects, but ironically, this is the first time I have been enthusiastically welcomed by a Korean drama.”
When asked about his experience of racism when he came to Hollywood in the past and whether there has been any change in the way US viewers watch him after K content became popular, the actor confessed, “There really isn’t a big difference. What I have felt in the past while working on Hollywood projects came from a very small number of people. In this whole long period, there have only been two or three people who have made me feel this way, so I don’t think there has been any major change. However, I could sense people’s enthusiastic reactions to Korean content, especially “Squid Game,” when I visited Los Angeles and New York. I think they learned more about Korea. Now everyone greets me with “annyeonghaseyo”. It made me understand the power of content and I felt incredibly proud.”
Regarding his determination in deciding to appear in the second season of “Squid Game” after the first season, Lee Byung-hun shared: “Rather than thinking ‘I’m going to show people what I know,’ I actually thought ‘I hope there’s a chance for me to show them my skills.’ It’s because I didn’t know what story director Hwang Dong-hyuk would tell me. Participating in a big project with many main characters that created a global sensation like this, I naturally thought that I had to do my best. It’s fine to go with the flow, but if I stand out too much, I might break the harmony of the series. I imagine the director had difficulty maintaining the balance so that many actors could all be considered protagonists.
