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Becoming the Front Man: Lee Byung-hun reveals evolution of 'Squid Game' character

Actor Lee Byung-hun [NETFLIX]


Lee Byung-hun is a pioneer for Korean actors breaking into Hollywood, appearing in films like the “G.I. Joe” franchise (2009-13) and “Red 2” (2013). But international fans seem to recognize him more for his role as the Front Man in Netflix's hit series "Squid Game" (2021-) than for the characters he has played so far in Hollywood films. Being able to be part of the series, which was made by Koreans with Korean actors — himself included — has made him "overwhelmed with emotion," said the actor.

“I was deeply moved that a Korean show, consisting of Korean actors, speaking all in Korean has garnered such global support and love from people all around the world — instead of an American show or a show being spoken in English," Lee said during an interview with local reporters on Wednesday.


"Before the release of season two, the cast and the production team went on a promotional tour across 11 countries, including the United States, and it was truly astonishing," said Lee. "I’ve done a handful of Hollywood projects over the past 15 years, but even combined, they can't compare to the popularity and fame of 'Squid Game.' Seeing fans overseas being so enthusiastic about the series brought back memories of the days when I was struggling to make a mark in Hollywood, and it evoked a lot of emotions."

Compared to the first season, where Lee only made a brief appearance, his character in the second season was raised to a main role. Though there were so many more lines to memorize and many more scenes to shoot for the actor, Lee says he most likely asked the same number of questions to director Hwang Dong-hyuk while shooting — which, the actor says, were a lot.

"Though I only made a cameo appearance [in the first season], I had so many questions,” he said. “A character’s backstory isn't usually provided for a cameo, as they only appear briefly. There’s no explanation about their past, their beliefs or personality. So, I had to ask the director a lot of questions and get a sense of the character."

Actor Lee Byung-hun [NETFLIX]


When filming the first season, the director had not fully shaped the character of the Front Man, so Lee was able to work together with the director to help create the character's backstory.

“The director told me that, because I had asked so many questions during both seasons one and two, he felt the Front Man's narrative was fully developed as a result," said Lee.

The 54-year-old actor, who debuted in 1991, has an undoubtedly long filmography, having worked with an array of directors and scriptwriters over his career. But Lee says director Hwang is "one of a kind." Hwang directed and wrote both seasons of the series.

"All those involved in producing ‘Squid Game’ imagined that the story would delve into the past in the second season, telling the story of why the Front Man entered the game in the first place, how he navigates through it and other aspects of his journey,” Lee said. “But when the first draft came out, we were all shocked. I was amazed at how the 13 episodes he wrote in just six months could be so well-structured and engaging. I thought, 'This person not only directs well but has a genius talent for storytelling.'"

Lee said he was also amazed that Hwang revealed the Front Man as one of the contestants from the beginning of the new season, creating a setup where only the viewers would know the true identity of the character.

Still from the second season of Netflix series ″Squid Game″ (2021-) [NETFLIX]


It was such a smart choice by the director, Lee said, but also a major task for Lee as an actor.

Lee said three personas needed to coexist for this character. First was the personality of In-ho, who was a former detective prior to becoming the Front Man. Then there was the personality of the Front Man himself and finally the character of Oh Young-il, which is a false name the Front Man uses in front of the other contestants.

For the three personas to be shown properly at the right time, Lee said he calculated the “percentage” of how much of each persona he would incorporate in different scenes, saying, "It was a continuous process of variation and adjustment.”

The most difficult scene to portray this, according to Lee, was the scene where he kills a player during the last round of the game “Mingle.”

"In that scene, I personally believed that, from the viewer’s perspective, the shifts between In-ho, the Front Man and Oh Young-il should happen in fractions of a second,” Lee said. “It needed to be unclear who was who, and I would constantly shift between the Front Man, Young-il and In-ho. Capturing that transition was the most challenging part."


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]