Actor Lee Jung-jae (53) expressed his thoughts on the ending of 'Squid Game' Season 3.
Released on the 27th of last month, 'Squid Game' Season 3 depicts Gi-hun, who loses his best friend in a game he re-enters with his own purpose, the Frontman who hides his identity while infiltrating the game, and the final fates of the participants who survive in that brutal game.
Within three days of its release, it ranked first in the non-English TV show category on Netflix. It also reached the top spot in 93 countries worldwide, becoming Netflix's first show to rank first in every country during its opening week. Furthermore, it entered the top 9 of Netflix's all-time series (non-English) in its opening week, with Seasons 1, 2, and 3 all making it into the top 10 of Netflix's most popular series (non-English) of all time.
Lee Jung-jae played the role of Seong Gi-hun, the winner of the brutal survival game with a stake of 456 billion won, delivering a remarkable performance.
Having been with the series since Season 1, Lee Jung-jae said, "It has been a long time, and since Season 3 has just opened, I still can't believe it's over. I feel like I've had a great experience. I'm very grateful in that regard. It's true that I've received a lot of interest and love. I hope to see the audience's reactions slowly. Now that it's over, I wonder if there will be another opportunity to talk about 'Squid Game.' Movies can be re-screened, but since this is an OTT series, I feel like it might really be the end."
He continued, "Every time I work on a project, I feel that it's difficult to grasp the character at first and to think about what direction to take in my acting and how to express it. When I'm struggling to decide which choice among various methods is the best, it can be very hard. As time passes, I become accustomed to the character and feel immersed in the work, which inevitably leads to affection. When the filming for the final scenes comes, I often wish we could shoot more. I don't feel relieved; instead, I feel a sense of regret wondering if this is really the end. It's always like that with every project."
Regarding Season 3's global ranking of first place in 93 countries, he said, "I haven't thought about the records. If I were to find meaning in that record, it would be significant that Korean content has reached that level. It's true that there is a great interest in Korean content. Even if someone hasn't watched 'Squid Game,' they know about it. There are cases where people started with 'Squid Game' and ended up watching variety shows as well. I think it's significant that interest in Korea is rising and that there is a desire to visit. If it has a good influence, not just in the cultural industry, that's a good thing."
Lee Jung-jae shared his thoughts on Seong Gi-hun's tragic ending in 'Squid Game' Season 3. Currently, reactions to the ending are sharply divided between "an unpleasant experience" and "a satisfying finale."
He said, "I didn't know it would end like that. I was surprised," but added, "The director had considered various versions of Seong Gi-hun and had deep thoughts about it." He continued, "Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who used to only make films, knows that the ending is always important. The emotions that the audience should feel need to be amplified, and there should be a sense of completion, as well as a conclusion to the fun and message. A filmmaker inevitably places great importance on the final ending that passes through the rising action, climax, and falling action. From that perspective, I can only imagine how much he must have pondered the ending of this significant project. I can understand that without even asking."
Lee Jung-jae expressed his agreement with Director Hwang Dong-hyuk's auteurist choices.
He said, "I could see the director's intention. Although the season was a huge success, I was surprised by the courage to make this choice for the sake of the work's integrity rather than enjoying that success. It seemed that he focused on the quality of the work and had affection for it rather than his own success. It felt more like an artist than a show business person. I felt that I should follow the auteur's decision. I had a strong desire to support the decision that this writer wanted."
He added, "Initially, it was produced as a limited series, but after achieving such great success, they decided to make Season 2 to repay the fans' gratitude. Where would a writer-director get such an opportunity? Not only is there no such great success, but I wanted to help in any way I could within this great success and opportunity. While I have my own direction I want to express, I tried to align as much as possible with what the writer wanted. I asked a lot of questions about what more I wanted to do rather than just sharing my ideas or thoughts. I tried to align as much as possible."
Lee Jung-jae reflected, "Some people die, and I have thought a lot about death as well. Whether one lives well or dies well, death is the same, isn't it? Perhaps living well is about dying well. What does it mean to die well? If I think that having a peaceful mind without guilt is what dying well means, then Gi-hun's choice was also about trying to live without any guilt."
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
