[Interview] "Is Sung Ki Hoon the 2nd frontman?"What Lee Byung-hun calls "Squid Game" and 001

Actor Lee Byung-hun, who surprised viewers by appearing as a frontman in "Squid Game," which caused syndromes around the world, returned with another look in season 2.

'Squid Game' is the most popular film of all time on Netflix, depicting the process of people who participate in a mysterious survival game with a prize money of 45.6 billion won risking their lives to enter the game to become the winner.

Season 2, which came off the veil on the 26th of last month, tells the story of Sung Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae), the winner of the last game, vowing revenge on the game's architect and jumping into survival once again. The work is once again writing a new history, ranking second in Netflix's most popular non-English-language series 11 days after its release.

In particular, Lee Byung-hun appeared as the frontman in charge of the game at the end of season 1, shocking viewers. In season 2, he infiltrated the game himself and played as 001 contestant Oh Young-il, playing the role of a game changer that changes the game, drawing favorable reviews from viewers around the world.

YTN had an interview with Lee Byung-hun on the 8th and talked about various things related to the work.

※ The following interviews contain some spoilers from the work. ※

Next is Lee Byung-hun and Moon Jae-in.

Q. Since the release of the second season, it has once again drawn attention from all over the world.

Lee Byung-hun: At the time of season 1, I didn't feel the reaction directly because I came out wearing a mask. However, I was very surprised to conduct several interviews and promotional activities in the United States for Season 2. I think this phenomenon is possible because various Korean contents have risen to a certain level. I'm trying to enjoy this phenomenon that is loved by people all over the world.

Q. As a first-generation actor in Hollywood, I think the current phenomenon of K-content attracting attention will be even more different.

Lee Byung-hun: I have so many thoughts and feelings. It's 'Ji' in 2009.I.Joe - Prelude to War I thought everyone in the world would recognize me when I made my Hollywood debut. Even after that, "Ji."I've been on I.Joe 2, Red: The Legend, Terminator Genisys, Magnificent 7 and more, but people didn't recognize me very well.

However, the cheers received through "Squid Game" seemed to be greater than all Hollywood works combined so far, so I felt a very strange feeling. I'm happy and amazed to see a scene that I haven't seen even when acting in English in Hollywood blockbuster works through Korean works with my Korean colleagues.

Q. I wonder how you received the offer to appear in season 2 of "Squid Game" and how it feels to participate as Oh Young-il beyond the frontman.Director Hwang Dong-hyuk had no plan in his head at the time when the production of

Lee Byung-hun: Season 2 was decided. Personally, I expected Hwang In-ho's narrative to come out before becoming a frontman, but I never imagined that it would be a current ongoing story like now. I know that director Hwang wrote the scenario for six months, and he admired that he was a "genius storyteller" when he saw that he wrote 13 episodes in such a short time.

Especially, the part where Oh Young-il sneaks into the game was surprising to me. In fact, Hwang In-ho's life sees a much more harrowing and grim time as he participates in the "Squid Game" in a time when his wife, baby, and job are lost and there is no hope of life. In the process, he sees the bottom of man, loses all hope for the world, and is at the end of pessimism.

I was very worried about how Hwang In-ho, who has such a shadow of life, could perform acting that could cheer and laugh as Oh Young-il. However, I was able to act because I was excited to think that he was a new person I had never played before.

Q. In fact, the real protagonist of season 2 is drawing favorable reviews to the extent that some say that he is the frontman. In particular, the subtle points where Oh Young-il seems to be looking forward to Ki-hoon while monitoring him are drawing attention among viewers.

Lee Byung-hun: The main purpose of the frontman is not to kill Sung Ki-hoon or to treat him as an enemy. It is only to realize and destroy the wrong beliefs that Sung Ki-hoon thinks. The feeling he feels every time he looks at Sung Ki-hoon from behind is, 'You will soon realize that human nature is nothing more than trash'.

However, since he was also a human before the frontman, he feels a very small shake of emotion. In particular, in the scene of playing a five-man hexagonal game, at some point, it was so urgent that I thought Hwang In-ho might also be enjoying it.

And maybe it contains a little bit of an expression of inferiority, 'I'm falling apart, but why aren't you falling apart?' Since human emotions are complex, they are very small, but maybe there is a feeling that "I hope Sung Ki-hoon is right."

Q. In a way, it's like playing the characters of Hwang In-ho, Oh Young-il, and the frontman.

Lee Byung-hun: That was the biggest homework. Oh Young-il had to show emotions that could not easily come from the frontman and Hwang In-ho's perspective. The key was how far to restrain and how far to show, and the process of aligning the line.

Before the Squid Game, I was worried about how much weight I would put on the pessimistic character of Hwang In-ho and the frontman and Oh Young-il acting in front of people. It was a moment like a fight with myself. In particular, the scene in which three characters are shown alternately in an instant by entering the room while playing a round game and killing the participants.

Q. It's my first time working with actor Lee Jung-jae like this, and I'm curious about how you feel about working with him, and is there a junior you've newly discovered through this work?It is the first time in 30 years that I have worked properly with actor Lee Jung-jae
. Still, it didn't take a long time or feel awkward to work with the acting because he was a friend who always faced awards ceremonies, parties, and other actors. And Lee Jung-jae also acted for a long time, so it was comfortable enough to be able to work together right away by just looking at each other's eyes.

In this work, I discovered a new actor named Jo Yu-ri. He acted together without knowing that he was an idol or what kind of place he was in. But I was surprised because his eyes were so good. Director Hwang also said he really liked Cho Yu-ri's eyes. I think there will be good results through this work.

Q. There is a clear division of likes and dislikes about actor Choi Seung-hyun's performance. In the early stages of production, some raised suspicions that the casting was due to his friendship with actor Lee Byung-hun. At that time, he was criticized unnecessarily for not expressing his position?

Lee Byung-hun: It seems different for each person to express their position. Some people can express their position, but some people think it is necessary. And I basically looked at the casting suspicions and thought, 'How can you think that?'

I've never been involved in casting in a work in over 30 years. It's an excess of authority. I think it's what a director and producer or casting director does.

Q. What do you think about this as a senior actor, as actor Park Sung-hoon continues to have issues outside of his work, such as posting inappropriate posts on his SNS recently?

Lee Byung-hun: It's too bad. Both the harsh criticism of Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun) and the stories about actor Park Sung-hoon are unfortunate. In particular, in the case of Park Sung-hoon, it is regrettable that such a thing happened while receiving a lot of attention and response and support through this work.

Q. Season 3 will be released this summer. Various expectations are pouring in, from the prediction that the frontman will die at the end to the speculation that Sung Ki-hoon will become the frontman.

Lee Byung-hun: I also saw that expectation. In season 3... (laughs), the story of each character deepens, but organic dramas between the characters will also become deeper. From the viewer's point of view, it is a situation where the character is deeply attached, so I think it will probably feel a greater sense of loss and sadness. I think the expression is probably more interesting because it's the last season when the story ends.

[Photo provided = Netflix]