‘Squid Game' Season 3: Park Sung-hoon, Jo Yu-ri and Wi Ha-jun on the hit show, their characters, and the final season

The Hindu

6 days ago

In the 2022 Netflix show The Glory, Park Sung-hoon, who plays bratty heir Jeong Jae-joon, is constantly stomping around and screaming choice expletives at the people around him. While Sung-hoon came in for much critical acclaim for bringing alive a truly vile character on screen, he soon followed this up with Queen of Tears, where he once again played the antagonist.
While this trajectory seemed to be heading toward another talented actor getting stuck in a groove, what followed next was a surprising yet welcome deviation from this path — Sung-hoon taking on the role of the seemingly soft-spoken Cho Hyun-joo, a transwoman who participates in the deadly games in Season 2 of Squid Game.
'As you said, I was known for playing a lot of villain roles, but this character came to me as a very pleasant gift. Before I got stuck in a box, it was an opportunity to do something completely different,' says Sung-hoon, speaking to The Hindu ahead of the release of the much-anticipated third and final Season of Squid Game.
While his casting—as a male actor essaying the role of a transwoman—raised many eyebrows initially, the aftermath of the second season saw Sung-hoon also come in for much critical acclaim. Trans characters are often reduced to crude stereotypes and lack nuance. However, Hyun-joo, who participates in the games to raise money for her gender-affirming surgery, is, thankfully, not reduced to a caricature on the show. Sung-hoon himself is quick to acknowledge the concerns he had going into the show.
Heart of steel
Battling a toxic ex-boyfriend and navigating the deadly games while pregnant, Jun-hee probably has the hardest time of them all. Singer and actress Jo Yu-ri says that while she did feel much pressure taking on this role as her onscreen debut in Season 2, she soon turned her focus entirely to getting the character right. 'I think Jun-hee makes everyone's hearts melt and break,' she laughs. Vulnerable and yet with a heart of steel, Jun-hee forges a bond with her co-contestants Hyun-joo and Heum-ja, which makes for some of the best moments of the show. 'Not only on the show, I was reliant on actors Park Sung-hoon and Kang Ae-sim through the filming as well and enjoyed working with them through both seasons,' she says. When asked what game was the most interesting to film, she says that while all the games were deadly and challenging, there is a game coming up on Season 3 that she found especially emotional as well as challenging.
'I had my worries about myself being a cis-gendered actor playing a transgender character, but what I really wanted to do was not reduce her to stereotypes. She has so many great qualities — she is selfless, cares about others, has charisma, is brave and righteous,' he says, waxing eloquent about Hyun-joo. 'Instead of imitating gestures or voice tones, I wanted to focus on these redeeming qualities she has as a person and wanted to portray her as a layered character through how she looks at other people, how her attitude is towards other people and how she treats them,' Sung-hoon explains, adding that he also interviewed transpersons, received advice from them and did his own research.
In the aftermath of a failed rebellion, Season 3 will see Hyun-joo once again thrust into the games. As Player 120, she emerges a competent yet large-hearted contestant in the second season, watching out for her fellow contestants and managing to excel in many games. In perhaps one of the most magnetic scenes on the show, Hyun-joo takes everyone by surprise when she picks up a gun and instructs a group of men on how to charge forward as they attempt to put an end to the games, revealing her past as a soldier.
'I also remember when filming the rebellion, what really took us by surprise is that all the men there were skilled with gunfight. In South Korea, all men have to serve in the military and it was rather funny that we were all skilled with guns,' Sung-hoon recalls.
The unrelenting search
For Wi Ha-jun, detective Jun-ho's frustrations as he searches the land, skies and seas for the deadly island made him immerse himself a lot more deeper into the role. 'Just like how Jun-ho was doing things his way, I was very determined to stay steadfast and strong till the end,' he says, of the search that continues in Season 3 of the show. Recalling how he read the script for Season 1 in one sitting, Ha-jun says he was excited to find out how the show would come alive on screen. 'Now that we are days away from Season 3, I am thankful for all the love and support from the global audiences. It is good entertainment, and has a lot of suspense, but on top of that, delivers a social message and theme that many viewers across the world can resonate with.'
In the run-up to the season's release, Sung-hoon has been walking global red carpets and participating in whirlwind press tours along with actors Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, Jo Yu-ri, Im Si-wan, Kang Ae-sim and director Hwang Dong-hyuk.
While we wait to see what happens to Hyun-joo in Season 3, the character has impacted Sung-hoon's life in more ways than one, leaving fans eager to see what his next role will be.
'After doing The Glory, people used to call me Jung Jae-joon after my character in that but now, everyone calls me 'eonnie' (sister in Korean). I am very happy,' he chuckles.
Squid Game Season 3 streams on Netflix from June 27