In an interview for the original Netflix series Samide game season 3 held on June 30 in a coffee in Jonny-Gu, Seoul, director Hwang Dong-Hyuk His feelings were asked to complete the last season. “I feel relieved”, Started, noting that after having dedicated six years exclusively to Play of squid Series, now he wants to take a break.
THE Play of squid The series follows people who risk their lives for a cash prize of 45.6 billion. When season 1 was previewed in 2021, he broke the consumption records of all times of Netflix, unleashing a global phenomenon. He also won an Emmy, one of the four main prizes in American Entertainment, and has swept away various award ceremonies, gaining both commercial and critical success.
After season 1, Hwang Dong-Hyuk he said, “Writing the script cost me six teeth and there will be no follow-up.” However, due to its explosive success, seasons 2 and 3 have been illuminated for simultaneous production. After more than a year of filming, season 2 was released in December 2024 and the third season on June 27, 2025.
According to the Opt Flixpatrol classification site, Samide game season 3 At the top of graphic designers in 93 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Tailandia, demonstrating its overwhelming global popularity. However, content reactions have been mixed. Hwang recognized him, saying, “I understand all the opinions”, And he candidly admitted the challenge of overcoming the impact of season 1.
Below is a question and answer with the director Hwang Dong-Hyuk:
Note: The interview contains spoiler.
Q: The six -year journey is over.
I feel relieved. It took about six years from the beginning of the script at this moment. Season 1 has achieved great success with few expectations, but seasons 2 and 3 have arrived with immense pressure due to great expectations. Finishing is as if arousing a heavy burden. I am grateful and a little empty, I wonder when I will do another job with this anticipation.
Q: How did you see the reactions?
The promotion program abroad was intense. I couldn’t sleep for a month due to the jet lag and my health suffered, so I couldn’t control all the reactions. Some loved, others had complaints and I understand both. The first season was shocking and fresh because there were no expectations. He is satisfied with his games and social messages. But for seasons 2 and 3, people wanted different things: more exciting games, stronger social messages or their favorite characters to shine. That’s why the reactions are polarized.
Q: Has Gi-Hun’s death always been planned?
Initially, I imagined a happy ending in which Gi-Hun survives, he leaves and meets his daughter in the United States. But as I wrote, my thoughts have changed. Reflecting on history and on socially postric economic social issues, growing inequality and threats of war and nationalism-I thought of what the world we leave for future generations. Young people are losing dreams and hopes, so I heard that the older generations should stop taking and return. That’s why I introduced the child as a symbol of hope and future. Gi-Hun’s sacrifice for the child was the story I wanted to tell.
Q: Some criticized the use of the child as a simple symbol and Geum-Ja (Kang Ae-Sim) sacrificing his son for a child caused confusion.
I saw the child as a symbol, not a literal figure to be raised. The act of Geum-Ja was to prevent his son from committing a horrible murder. The shoulder was an instinctive act to stop it, not to kill. I hope the spectators understand him in this way.
Q: Isn’t Seong Gi-Hun the final symbol of the squid game?
Gi-hun is inseparable from history. In season 1, he is a foolish and pathetic loser who awakens his conscience and transforms himself. Lee Jung-Jae portrayed him brilliantly. He has a diet for a year during seasons 2 and 3, eating only boiled vegetables, which has been stimulating. Unlike the first season, where he could eat and drink, he isolated for these seasons, reflecting the alienation of Gi-Hun. I am deeply grateful for his dedication.
Q: Some frustrating gi-hun finds.
The story was not to make a hero gi-hun. The front man makes fun of him to “play the hero”. He is not a character with special skills, so his final choice was the best he could make. It might seem frustrating, but I believe that ordinary or even imperfect people, not only a few leaders, change the world. That’s why his struggle adapts.
I did not launch based on fame. I wrote characters and I chose actors who adapt. Surviving longer does not mean someone is more famous: the Kang Ha-Neul dies before IM-Wan, but it is no less known. I focused on how the characters die, not when, rather than on their fame.
It was the first public activity of Top for some time, and it was nervous. Overseas fans loved his character from Thanos, who trusted him. He thanks me abundantly, almost in an overwhelming degree (laughs). But I didn’t throw it to “save him”; I thought he had rested enough and had adapted perfectly to Thanos. Not everyone has forgiven him, but I hope he shows a positive side to win on those still upset.
Q: The character of the shaman (Chae Gook-Hee) also attracted attention.
I wanted a wild character like Han Mi-Nyeo from the first season. Shamans are a symbolic part of Korean society, as in recent successes such as K-Pop demons. My grandmother was once cheated by a shaman whose powers were and they came, so I wanted to represent that type of figure. The incoherent powers of the shaman reflect gi-hun and the fate of the child.
Q: How did you create the front man?
I imagined it that I felt lower than gi-hun, wanting to corrupt and break it dragging him into the game and giving him a knife. However, he also hopes that Gi-Hun passes the test. When Gi-Hun chooses to protect the child, I think the front man respects him, delivering his things to his daughter and destroying the game site as a defeat admission.
D: In the final game, everyone except Gi-Hun seemed a bad guy.
I wanted the ending to be dark, showing a spark of humanity in a hopeless place. Nam Ki (IM Si-Wan) lacks confidence in humanity, living selfishly and believing that it is “less bad” in the world. When only three remain, assumed that Gi-Hun will kill him and take the child, then tries to stop gi-hun and launches the child, rationalizing him with cognitive dissonance, thinking: “This may not be my son”. This is the worst of human selfishness.
Q: What is a memorable moment of six years?
The filming of the fall of G-Hun were unforgettable: his most surprising expression I saw. It was difficult, and both the actor and I felt “this is the end”. Subsequently, we ate and drank together for the first time.
Q: Does Gi-Hun’s death no longer meaning squid games?
Yes (laughs). His journey told the story I wanted, so there is no more player’s game. The appearance of Kate Blanchett is not a suggestion in another season. I considered an ending in which Gi-Hun sees another ddakji man in the United States, but his death closed the story. The rumors of a version of Hollywood with me who direct and Blanchett protagonist are not true.
Q: Some were disappointed by the outside world, in particular Jun-Ho (Wi Ha-Jun).
Jun-I had to solve the game with Gi-Hun, but the ending changed, so it arrived late (laughs). I wanted him to confirm his brother’s situation, and the front chose him to grow the child, knowing that he would not win the 45.6 billion. Also, he has a mother (laughs).
Q: Is a spin-off of the front man possible?
I said everything I wanted with the squid game, but I’m open to a different tone. There is a gap in history: Captain Park (Oh Dal-Su) has a photo with the man Ddakji (Gong Yoo) and in-Ho (Front Man). I would like to explore their relationship in those three years, only for fun, not for a story based on messages. Nothing still concrete.
Q: Some include children who grow up to join the game.
I didn’t think about it. The blood -stained clothes delivered by the front man were his twisted humor.
Q: Have you ever wanted to surrender during seasons 2 and 3?
It was a long journey. I saw the screenplay during filming due to the great cast and incomplete drafts, inspired by the actors. Don’t rest after shooting the change was exhausting. Every moment has become more difficult.
Q: Who has changed the more?
The min-su and Nam-kyu relationship: Dam-kyu died first. Initially, they were only young 1, 2, 3 or Thanos Crew 1, 2, 3, but the actors brought depth.
Q: Any unexpected moments?
The poor initial Korean reception of season 1 shocked me. So the reactions abroad have increased its global ranking and has become a phenomenon in a week: a Russian mountain pinched myself.
D: As a most successful director of Korea, what does it do Play of squid Does it mean for you?
Reflecting on Gi-Hun made me think of my work and my life. It is a work that made me proud but also humiliated me.
Q: With offers abroad, you mentioned wanting to make a theatrical movie.
I have received many offers, but I dropped from 62 kg to 59 kg and I need to recover. The theatrical market is hard and I worry about failing the investors who expect success. I’m resting and I reflect on what to create later.
Q: Fans are worried about their teeth and weight.
I lost six teeth during season 1 and two more during seasons 2 and 3. I have not yet obtained plants; My gums swell when I’m tired. Few natural teeth remain.
Q: The final line of Gi-Hun is “Humans are …” What do you follow?
Humans are selfish, destructive, cruel and greedy, but sometimes full of humanity. They are unpredictable. I wanted to leave him as a question for spectators. We have to stop taking and sacrifice for a better future.
