Actor Lee Da-wit (31) expressed his feelings about the reactions following the release of 'Squid Game'.
Released on the 27th of last month, 'Squid Game' Season 3 depicts Gi-hun, who loses his best friend while rejoining the game with his own purpose, and the Frontman, who hides his identity while infiltrating the game, as well as the final fates of the participants who survived in that brutal game.
Within three days of its release, it ranked first in the non-English TV show category on Netflix. It also topped the charts in 93 countries worldwide, becoming Netflix's first work to achieve number one in every country during its first week of release. Additionally, it entered the top 9 of Netflix's all-time series (non-English) in its first week, with Seasons 1, 2, and 3 all ranking within the top 10 of Netflix's most popular series (non-English) of all time.
Lee Da-wit played the role of Minsu, who is bullied by Nam-kyu in 'Squid Game' Season 2 and Season 3.
When asked about his thoughts after the release, Lee Da-wit said, "In movies, you feel it directly during the stage greetings after the release, but with Netflix, it’s released on that day, and to think it’s number one in 93 countries doesn’t really hit home. The only thing I feel is that DMs are coming from various countries on Instagram. It’s fascinating to see reactions from people I will never meet in my life. There are comments like 'Diva', 'My Boy Minsu', and 'My Sun', and many comments saying 'Do well to Semi'."
He continued, "When I went to the military and didn’t post anything on Instagram, my followers dropped from 200,000 to 100,000. But a few days ago, I surpassed 1 million. That’s very meaningful to me. As someone who takes things slowly with each project, I think I made a quantum leap. I couldn’t do much before because it was hard, but I feel like I should post something more now," he smiled.
Lee Da-wit joined the 'Squid Game' series after his military discharge. He had previously connected with director Hwang Dong-hyuk through the film 'The Fortress'.
He said, "I heard just before my discharge that there would be auditions for 'Squid Game'. I thought I wouldn’t have a chance, but I was grateful when they contacted me. After my discharge, I was really lost about how to live, but I also felt like I had worked hard all this time, and I realized there’s no law saying I have to just give up."
Since Season 1 was such a global hit, and knowing that any character's death could be a spoiler, there was strict security.
When asked if he was worried about spoilers, Lee Da-wit replied, "When I told my middle school friends that I was appearing in 'Squid Game', they were more nervous than I was, and every time I said something, they would go 'shh'. There were no spoilers, but they were extra careful. When I told my dad, he just said, 'Okay, do your best.' I think he was trying to keep me grounded, but it made him more cautious. Even after the release, I still haven’t heard any reviews. I feel a bit shy to ask my family about it," he answered shyly.
He added, "After everything was released, the most common reaction from my friends was 'You made it to the end', and while it was weak, there were also reactions saying 'It felt refreshing to fight back'. In fact, after Season 2 ended, I received DMs asking 'What are you doing as a foreigner?' But I couldn’t say, 'I’m going to make it to the end. Just wait a few months.' I thought to myself, 'Just wait and see,'" he revealed, causing laughter.
Lee Da-wit also felt that the character Minsu was the most realistic character.
He said, "If it were me, I would probably hide like Minsu. To survive and make money, wouldn’t that be the case?" He added, "I also have a lot of fear and timidness like Minsu. I don’t think I stand out much. Some might call it caution, and others might say I have deep thoughts. But this personality can be frustrating at times, and at some point, I wanted to push forward boldly, but that actually brought more stress."
He continued, "But what was interesting was that there were many reactions saying 'I would have done the same as you'. Both foreigners and locals said, 'I’m also a timid person and scared, but I liked you in that game and felt the most connected to you.' It made me think about the diversity of human nature. It was fascinating."
Regarding the Minsu VIP theory, he said, "I don’t know why that happened. Even when I told my really close friends, they didn’t believe me. Jo Yu-ri called me to ask, and when I said, 'Sorry, I couldn’t tell you,' she asked if I was a hidden figure. I think she told Im Si-wan. Im Si-wan said, 'Oh, Yu-ri didn’t know,' and for a while, they believed that until No Jae-won told them it wasn’t true," he said, causing laughter.
As for the ending, he said, "I think Minsu reached his maximum potential, but I feel like Nam-kyu should have gone a bit further for it to be more satisfying. It seems like the kid pushed to the edge didn’t express something clearly, so it feels less satisfying," he said playfully.
He continued, "I only received the script up to the part I appeared in, so I didn’t know the ending. I found out after the release that actress Cate Blanchett was in it," he said. "But when I was still alive until almost the end, the staff were talking about going to shoot in America, and I thought, 'No way.' At that time, there were rumors that a foreign actor might appear, and it was speculated because Leonardo DiCaprio said he enjoyed watching 'Squid Game'," he explained.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
