Interview | Lee Byung-Hun on Squid Game Season 3, the global reception and starring alongside Lee Jung-jae-OxBig News Network

There is this gripping crescendo that Season 1 of the dystopian Korean thriller show Squid Game builds up to, as we ready ourselves to find out who exactly The Front Man is. A shadowy figure who is seemingly shown to oversee a series of brutal, bloody games that has 456 debt-ridden contestants battle it out for a prize pot, he walks around in a trench coat, speaks in a robotic voice and wears a chiselled black mask.

The big revelation that followed proved to be the result of one of the most exciting casting coups for a TV show. A household name in South Korea and one of the earliest crossover stars to feature in expansive Hollywood projects, Lee Byung-hun’s first appearance onscreen on Squid Game as the chief adversary of Lee Jung-jae, another seasoned actor, proved to be one of the biggest surprises in a show that already had much shock and awe going for it.

Lee Byung-hun as The Front man in Squid Game Season 3
| Photo Credit:
Netflix

Four years after the show first premiered, the world is now gearing up for the third and final season of Squid Game. Since its release in 2021, the show has broken several streaming records on Netflix, won Emmys and a Golden Globe, cemented its place in pop-culture (think everything from Halloween outfits to trending nursery rhymes from the show), spawned reality show spin-offs, and more. Given the themes the show deals with, the political and social discourse has also been immense; the sharp writing satirises capitalism, and holds up a mirror to working class struggles and the debt trap.  

Even in the middle of a whirlwind press tour in the run up to the release, Lee Byung-hun is calm, collected and all smiles as he readies to speak to The Hindu about the show, having just finished an event with the ensemble cast earlier in the day. He is seated against a backdrop of a large poster from the show featuring creepy killer doll Young-hee and another creepier boy doll.

“As you well pointed out, this character is so multifaceted that I did feel some pressure going into the show,” he says, when asked about the many complexities that riddle The Front Man. “It was such a fascinating character and I had so much fun playing him in the show.”

In Season 2 of Squid Game, Byung-hun sheds his shadowy Front Man persona and infiltrates the games as the earnest yet secretly conniving contestant Hwang In-ho(player 001), prepping to pull off the ultimate betrayal. He harkens back to his own filmography, recalling the 2012 period drama film Masquerade where he played two different characters. “Every time I take on a role that is multidimensional like this, I find it challenging and fascinating. I had to share a lot of conversations with director Hwang Dong-hyuk,” he says of his Squid Game experience. 

Season 3 will once again see him take up the mantle of The Front Man to keep the games going after a failed rebellion and a heartbreaking betrayal. There is much that is at stake here for The Front Man, who has to keep simmering tensions in check, and a watchful eye on Gi-hun, player 456 (Jung-jae). 

Byung-hun shared considerable screentime in Season 2 with Jung-jae, the show’s protagonist and his contemporary as an actor. Their forged friendship was one of the high points of the season, especially given their opposing ideals and beliefs with regard to humanness and greed simmering beneath the surface.  

“Interestingly enough, this was the first time that we were acting alongside each other. Both of us are experienced as actors, and we have been acquainted with each other throughout our career, and connected as friends. This meant that we did not have to try or make a special effort to coordinate our acting, it just came naturally,” Byung-hun says. Free time between takes meant that the two would spend time catching up on everything else except the show, like enquiring about which ‘gym the other person was visiting’, Byung-hun laughs.  

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho and the other cast members on the sets of Squid Game Season 2
| Photo Credit:
Netflix

While renowned for his versatile roles in iconic South Korean films such as Joint Security Area, A Bittersweet Life, I Saw The Devil, Inside Men, and this year’s hit The Match, Byung-hun’s K-drama roles have been memorable as well. He amassed fans worldwide with the 2018 smash-hit period drama Mr Sunshine and was more recently seen in the 2022 K-drama, Our Blues. 

No stranger to global audiences as well, Byung-hun has previously starred in the G.I.Joe franchise as Storm Shadow, and was also a part of Terminator Genisys and Red 2. “For Squid Game, the story was created by a Korean team, worked on by Korean crew members and actors, and I was blown away by the overwhelming love and support we have been receiving from across the world.  The reception even exceeded what I experienced when I was a part of Hollywood blockbuster projects,” Byung-hun says. 

Platforms like Netflix, he says, are now proving to people that they can have an equal and fair chance to introduce their stories to every place in the world, wherever they are. 

“This is a message that relates to not just the Korean film and entertainment industry but across the globe. We now live in an era where as long as we have a great story and content, we can reach out to the entire community,” he says. 

Adding to the chatter about a possible spin-off focussed on The Front Man, Lee Byung-hun’s recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he expressed his support for this has pleased fans. For now, however, the final season looms large. Is anyone going to make it out of the dreaded island alive? Or will The Front Man reign? 

Squid Game Season 3 streams on Netflix on June 27 

Published – June 20, 2025 01:57 pm IST