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Returning to the set of Squid Game for its highly anticipated second season, Lee Jung-jae admitted it felt as though he had never left. “I had been living with Gi-hun for two years, including promotions,” the actor shared in a recent interview, adding, “I really felt like I was him.” The global phenomenon, which debuted in 2021, captivated audiences with its dark premise of a deadly competition where individuals in debt compete in childhood-inspired games for a chance at financial freedom. The series became Netflix’s most-watched show and garnered prestigious accolades, including Primetime Emmy Awards for Lee and director Hwang Dong-hyuk. The success propelled Lee’s career to new heights, landing him at the Cannes Film Festival and in his first English-language role for Disney+’s Star Wars series The Acolyte. New details of ‘Squid Game’ season 2 revealed When Netflix ordered a second season, Lee initially questioned the timeline, recalling how the first season took years to develop. However, Hwang surprised everyone by drafting not only season two but also a third and final season in just six months. “I’m not sure I can write something that fast again,” Hwang admitted. The director noted that crafting new characters came naturally, but deciding Gi-hun’s trajectory was the most challenging part. Lee praised Hwang’s work, calling him “a genius” after reading the scripts. Korean actor Yang Dong-geong, a new cast member, acknowledged the pressure of following up a successful first season. “There’s a Korean saying, ‘There’s not a sequel that does better than its prequel,’” Yang remarked. Despite the challenges, season two has already received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Series, signaling high expectations. 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae debuts as director in Cannes The show’s international appeal continues to elevate careers. Lee Byung-hun, reprising his villainous role from season one, reflected on how Squid Game brought him global recognition after over three decades in the industry. “If Squid Game makes people curious about my earlier work, nothing could bring me greater joy,” he said. New cast member Jo Yu-ri revealed that the audition process was rigorous, with months between callbacks. Reflecting on landing the role, she said, “I remember crying when I got the part.” Netflix enforced strict secrecy around casting announcements, though close friends celebrated the milestone privately. The Squid Game franchise is expanding, with a second season of its reality competition show already confirmed and an English-language adaptation in development. Meanwhile, post-production on season three of the original series is underway. Squid Game: Netflix Original Korean Web Series gets worldwide popularity Season two hasn’t been without controversy. One of the new characters is transgender, portrayed by actor Park Sung-hoon. Hwang acknowledged criticism over the decision not to cast a transgender actor but explained that it reflects the limited representation of LGBTQ individuals in Korean media. “Unfortunately, marginalized groups like the LGBTQ community are not widely accepted in Korea,” Hwang said, emphasizing that the team conducted thorough research but could not find a suitable transgender actor. He defended Park’s casting, calling his performance “the perfect fit” for the role. As anticipation builds for the next installment, the cast and crew remain optimistic about continuing the story of Squid Game while navigating the pressures of global success and cultural sensitivities.

Lee Jung-jae, the award-winning star of Netflix's “Squid Game,” spent years developing the 1980s-set Korean spy thriller “Hunt” before electing to direct himself. He did it a little reluctantly, without big plans to continue filmmaking. But Lee did have a vision for what it could be — and where it could premiere. “Before deciding to direct, I thought I just wanted to make a very fun film,” Lee says. “After I got my hands on it and started writing the script myself, I actually wanted to come to Cannes. Because I wanted to come to Cannes, I had to find the subject matter that would resonate with the global audience.” Few actors know more about capturing the attention of the global audience than Lee. Already one of Korea's top movie stars, the 49-year-old Lee is at the nexus of the “Squid Game” phenomenon, starring in the dystopic series that — subtitles and all — became Netflix's most-watched show in some 90 countries. Now, Lee is in Cannes to premiere “Hunt," which is playing in Cannes’ midnight section and being shopped for international distribution. The film will test how far Lee can further extend his already borderless career. Earlier this year, Lee signed with the Hollywood powerhouse agency CAA. And he grants that he has some Hollywood ambitions. Also read: Walking the red carpet at Cannes, Shuvoo skims the zenith “Working in Hollywood would definitely be a good experience for me,” Lee said in an interview in Cannes shortly before “Hunt” premiered. “If there was a good fit for me, a good character, I’d definitely like to join. But right now, I feel like global audiences are wanting more Korean content and Korea-made TV shows and films. So I would work in Korea as well very diligently. I might seem a little greedy, but if there was a role for me in Hollywood, I’d definitely like to do that, too.” But if Lee's ascension to being an increasingly world-renown actor typifies the pop-culture power of today's Korea, his film is set in an earlier, less harmonious chapter in Korean history. “Hunt” takes place several years after South Korean president Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979 by the chief of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, a coup that ushered in the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan. “Hunt” is loosely inspired by his subsequent 1983 assassination attempt orchestrated by North Korea. “The ’80s in Korea was when we had the rapidest growth ever,” says Lee. “But democracy didn’t grow as much because there was a military dictatorship and the media was under full control of the government. So I did hear a lot from the older generation and my parents about those government controls. I also witnessed myself college protests.” “Hunt” grippingly follows a pair of agents (one is played by Lee, the other by Jung Woo-sung) who are both assigned to uncover a North Korean mole within the agency. Lee — not merely dipping his toe into a modest directorial debut — proves skilled at mounting large-scale action sequences and marshalling a dense plot while managing to keep the suspense up. Also read: Tom Cruise and 'Top Gun: Maverick' touch down in Cannes “A lot of people told me that I should change the setting to now,” Lee said, speaking through an interpreter. “But in the ’80s, there was a lot of control of information and people were trying to benefit from fake information and misinformation. I think that still exists now in 2022. Still there are groups that try to benefit from these controls of information and propaganda. “We now live in a global world that’s connected,” he adds. “We don’t have any silos between us. If there’s a problem or issue, we have to all work on it to overcome it.” Lee is often asked how his life has changed since “Squid Game” by Western journalists who might be less familiar with his nearly three decades as a top star in Korea in films like “An Affair,” “New World” and “The Housemaid.” Lee laughs. “It’s natural because a lot of people in the West might not have known me before ‘Squid Game.'" That's changing rapidly, though. Lee will return for season two of “Squid Game,” which the series' creator Hwang Dong-hyuk recently said should be expected in 2023 or 2024. The first season already led to Lee becoming the first Asian actor win the Screen Actors Guild Award for best male performer. Lee was so surprised — aside from considering himself an underdog, he’s a big “Succession” fan — that he never managed to pull out the speech he had written in his pocket. “It still,” Lee says smiling and shaking his head, “seems like a dream to me.”