“Do you still have faith in humanity?”: Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun and Park Gyu-young on Squid Game season three
As Squid Game returns for its third and final season, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk joined cast members Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun and Park Gyu-young at a London press conference to reflect on the series’ unexpected evolution – and what its impending end entails.
Originally intended to conclude with season two, the saga expanded mid-development. “I had only planned for the narrative to be a single season,” Hwang explained. But as Gi-hun’s rebellion unravelled, the story grew. “We decided to split it into two; and this is really a story about the showdown between Gi-hun and Front Man on their own beliefs regarding humanity.” Ultimately, for Hwang, this final season represents closure. “It’s crazy, but it’s time to say goodbye.”
Lee Jung-jae, reprising his role as Player 456, Gi-hun, describes him not as the same protagonist, but as a ghost wandering through what remains. “At the beginning of the third season, whether it’s the games or just in life, you will see Gi-hun with no will to carry on.” And yet, the series resists surrendering completely to nihilism. “Gi-Hun is constantly asked the question: ‘Do you still have faith in humanity? Do you still trust people?’” says Lee. “But no matter how many times he is deceived or mocked or ridiculed by other people, he is someone who will constantly try to find ways and try to continue to have faith in humanity.”
“He wants Ki Hoon to prove that there is hope in humanity,” Lee Byung-hun reasoned, as the discussion turned to his chilling character. “The audience believes that he’s this cruel, merciless figure who could just shoot someone in the eye without a blink of an eye,” he alluded. “But I think maybe behind the mask, he might have squinted a little before shooting Chong Bae.”
Park Gyu-young, who joined season two as pink guard Kang No-eul, spoke about the physical demands of the role. “I went through rigorous action training: weight training to make sure that I look very fit and agile, and I went on a diet so I would look very dry and have chapped skin.” These choices weren’t just aesthetic. “When you have dry, chapped skin, you also feel like more of a dry, emotionless person.”
The show’s ever-evolving gameplay remains, though its emotional and physical stakes are higher than ever. “Some games are very physically demanding; others are very emotionally demanding,” Lee Jung-jae observed when asked about the most difficult game. He eventually settled on the game “Mingle”, explaining: “When you were looking out at that small opening in the door, you have to watch other people die in front of you.”
Yet what lingers most isn’t just the death, but the decisions that come with it. “The questions are asked in the dialogue, and the answers are shown through the actions of the characters,” said Lee Byung-hun, praising the show’s distinctive moral framework. “It is up to each viewer to interpret.”
Christina Yang
Squid Game season three is released on Netflix on 27th June 2025.
Watch the trailer for Squid Game season three here:
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