The audition process moved slowly. Jo Yu-ri recalls waiting two months between the first and second rounds. When she finally got the part, Jo said, “I actually remember crying.”
The actors were asked to not speak publicly about their casting to wait for Netflix to make an announcement.
“There were a couple of close friends that popped champagne for me when they found out,” said Yang.
Netflix’s Squid Game universe is also growing. A second season of a reality competition show based on the series has been ordered and an English version is in development. Season three of the original has also completed filming and is in post-production.
Season two is not without controversy. The new episodes feature a transgender character played by Park Sung-hoon. Hwang says he understands why hiring a trans actor would have been ideal, but that the casting is a reflection of how the LGBTQ community and gender identity are viewed in Korea.
“To be honest with you, in Korea, when it comes to the LGBTQ and gender minority community and culture compared to the Western world, it’s not as widely socially accepted yet. Unfortunately, a lot of the groups are marginalised and neglected by society, which is heartbreaking,” said Hwang.
“We don’t have a very large pool of actors that allow for authentic casting when it comes to transgender characters. We did our research. We tried to find someone who we thought could be the best fit. However, we weren’t able to.” Hwang also went on to say that Park’s talent and approach to the character ended up making him “the perfect fit”.
