On October 10, Lee Jung-jae appeared on the “Netflix Korea” channel and shared behind-the-scenes stories from filming “Squid Game.”
The Netflix original series “Squid Game” revolves around a secret contest in which 456 players, all in dire financial straits, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children’s games for a chance to win a prize of 45.6 billion ₩.
In the interview, Lee Jung-jae recalled the scene where his character “Gi-hun” plays the ddakji game with Gong Yoo’s character “Ddakji Man (Recruiter)” in the subway. He explained: “This is a very important scene where he meets the recruiter and is pulled into another world. This is the moment in the series that makes both Gi-hun and the audience begin to believe in this absurd situation and immerse themselves in it. So I thought a lot about how to convey that sense of faith.”
He continued: “I played it with more strength than skill. So I struggled to flip the ddakji. It just wouldn’t tip over. Gong Yoo looked really good playing ddakji.“
Speaking about the scene where Gong Yoo slaps him, Lee Jung-jae said: “In acting, it’s actually easier to be the one who gets hit. There is more pressure on those who hit. Even before we started filming, Gong Yoo would say things like, “I’ll just touch you a little.” I said it probably wouldn’t work. I told him he had to really slap me to please the director. And as expected, the director wasn’t satisfied until I actually got hit. I was quite impressed during that scene.“
He further explained: “The director asked me to try to express joy like a famous footballer would after scoring a comeback goal in a crucial match. So I tried to express it. But I didn’t know that the director would use slow motion in that scene. However he did, which really amplified the joy.“
Regarding the scene where Gong Yoo disappears in the subway, Lee Jung-jae shared: “Of course we couldn’t stop a train used by the public to film. So we had to shoot according to the normal operating schedule. Gong Yoo was told to take the train, get off at the next station, and then take the train back. Then he would go back down, wait for the subway again, stop in the same place, shoot the scene again, go back, take the train again, go back down and shoot the scene again. I remember him doing it several times.”
Lee Jung-jae added: “There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not the Recruiter would appear in season two. Honestly, until I received the script, I was wondering the same thing. Then I saw how he was portrayed in the script. I thought, “Wow, he’s a really weird guy.” So I think viewers will find it interesting this time too.”
Meanwhile, “Squid Game Season 2” will release on Netflix on December 26.
Source: Daum
