Still holding the title of the most-watched series of all time on Netflix with its first season, Squid Game has become a global phenomenon. Ahead of the season 3 release, I watched the first five episodes and had the opportunity to speak with the series’ creator and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk. Our interview time was limited, and we communicated through an interpreter translating from Korean to English. At the end of the conversation, when I asked him which Squid Game season was his favorite, he replied in English: Season 3. Squid Game season 3 is now streaming on Netflix!
Hi, it’s great to meet you. Before we get into the latest season, I want to congratulate you on completing the series. You have created one of the most iconic shows in the world. How does it feel to say goodbye now?
I would have to say it’s a mix of a wide range of different emotions. It’s true that I felt a lot of pressure while working on this series, and it also took up so much of my time and effort. So, in a way, I feel a little bit relieved. But at the same time, because I have so much love and, you know, I’m very attached to this series and it’s given me so many valuable memories, it does feel a bit sad to have to say goodbye. So it’s just a mix of very different emotions.
So, I’ve only seen the first five episodes of season three, but it seems to me that it raises more ethical questions than ever, compared to the previous seasons. How do you manage to continually push boundaries each season?
Because this is the last season, I wanted to pose certain questions that arise from being in and experiencing ethical dilemmas that come up when you are in the most extreme of circumstances. I think that the world we live in is changing into one that forces us to ask those questions, with the sophisticated capitalist market and the wealth gap being exacerbated, and financial inequality becoming worse. I feel that we live in a time where, as human beings, we have to ask these extreme questions. So I wanted to explore that in that sense.
I know the idea originally started as a feature film and took years to bring to life. How much of the story had you mapped out before seasons 2 and 3? And what was the original idea that sparked it all?
I didn’t have the storyline of seasons two and three when I wrote it as a feature film script back in 2009. At that time, the script only told the story that you saw in season one. I didn’t think that I would do a second season or a third season. But while I was working on the first season, I did have an idea that, because the story ends with Gi-Hun turning away from the flight, if there were to be a further story told, it could follow the journey of Gi-Hun seeking revenge and seeking and searching for those behind the games. But again, I didn’t think about the story until I was done with the first season.
Last question… Which season is your personal favourite?
I think season 3 is my favorite. There’s everything in season 3, and I think it’s the most powerful season. (He says it in English ☺)
See also: Lee Jung-jae & Lee Byung-hun on ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 – Exclusive Interview & Park Gyu-young on ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 – Exclusive Interview
