'Squid Game' lead actor Lee Jung-jae on his season 2 character's new mission and evolution

Reprising his role as game winner Seoung Gi-hun, Lee told NBC News that his character is darker and more serious after his traumatic experience in the first season.

“Squid Game” main character Player 456 may have slipped on the iconic green tracksuit and returned in the show’s upcoming second season for another round in the murderous survival game. But he’s no longer focused solely on his own win, now carrying the weight of his fellow contestants on his shoulders.

Lee Jung-jae, who reprises his role as game winner Seong Gi-hun in the new season that begins streaming on Netflix on Dec. 26, said that this time around, his character is darker and more serious after a traumatic first season.

He told NBC News he also has a mission to save others who have joined the high-pressure, high-stakes game. The character development even prompted the actor himself to evolve, he said. 

“When actors really immerse themselves into their characters, I think sometimes their values can shift according to what the character thinks,” Lee said in Korean through a translator. “‘Squid Game’ really talks about justice and how to bring people together. And I really thought about that a lot, too.”

In the upcoming season, a traumatized Gi-hun gives up his plan to hop on a plane for the U.S. with his winnings. Instead, he chooses to re-enter the game three years later with the sole purpose of putting an end to it. Surrounded by a new crop of players, Gi-hun looks to protect them all from the violence that comes with the tempting game winnings of 45.6 billion won. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/squid-game-season-2-lee-jung-jae-rcna184212

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