Squid Recreation 3 Actor Park Sung-hoon Talks Season 3

SPOILER ALERT: This textual content incorporates major spoilers from “Squid Recreation” Season 3, Episode 2, now streaming on Netflix.

When Park Sung-hoon filmed Cho Hyun-ju’s dying scene all through “Squid Recreation” Season 3’s memorable recreation of hide-and-seek, he managed to shock himself by nailing it immediately.

“Director Hwang [Dong-hyuk] gave me a course saying, ‘When Hyun-ju slips away from the digicam, may you’ve gotten one tear roll down your face?’ And I assumed it may very well be exhausting, nonetheless I actually did it in a single take,” Park tells Choice. “So as soon as I accomplished it, the employees all clapped and cheered for me.”

Nonetheless that doesn’t indicate saying goodbye obtained right here easy, significantly because of Hyun-ju’s dying happens so unexpectedly early throughout the season. “Not too way back, I’ve carried out a complete lot of villain characters, so I was so lucky to have the flexibility to play Hyun-ju, who’s such a cool character,” Park says. “It was very exhausting for me to say goodbye to her, because of I assumed she would final extra. I consider she died ahead of she should have, so it’s a shame.”

Hyun-ju was launched in Season 2 as considered one of many major avid gamers throughout the new recreation, with the aim of using the cash prize to help fund her gender-affirming surgical process after getting discharged from the military. Relying on her teaching, she ends up teaming up with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), turning into an instrumental chief throughout the stand up. Choice beforehand spoke with Park in regards to the preparation that went into participating in a trans character as a cis actor.

After Gi-hun’s stand up fails on the end of Season 2, Episode 2 of this final season kicks off with half the avid gamers being compelled to kill one different participant, whereas the hiders try to find the exit. Hyun-ju immediately sticks with the older lady, Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim), and the pregnant Kim Jun-hee (Jo Yu-ri), who’re all on the equivalent workforce. Alongside the way in which wherein, Hyun-ju is compelled to kill off avid gamers from the opposing workforce, exhibiting off her military teaching. Upon stumbling on the exit, she goes once more to save lots of plenty of Geum-ja and Jun-hee’s new youngster youngster sooner than being stabbed throughout the once more by Lee Myungi-gi (Yim Si-wan).

Underneath, Park breaks down Hyun-ju’s willpower to sacrifice herself, what it meant for a trans character to witness the toddler’s begin, and the way in which the actor continues to copy on the LGBTQ+ neighborhood’s warmth response to the character.

Can you talk about in regards to the giant emotional scene when Hyun-ju finds the exit, opens the door and decides to return, lastly sacrificing herself to save lots of plenty of the alternative two women? What’s going by way of her head in that second?

When she finds the exit, it was merely an computerized response for her to take a step. Nonetheless I consider her motivation shifted from Seasons 2 to a few. In Season 2, her major motivation was to get the money so that she may get her gender affirmation surgical process, go to Thailand and start over. Nonetheless in Season 3, her giant motivation turned defending the weaker lady proper right here, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee’s new youngster youngster as properly. So when she took a step exterior, I consider there was a stand up identify inside her head telling her to return: “It’s a should to protect these people.” So I consider the one thought that was left in her head in the intervening time was to go and save them. I keep in mind limping and being very bloody, strolling once more to the room, and I actually really feel very emotional correct now, really, contemplating once more to that scene, because of it was such a tragic and heartbreaking second.

What was the experience like filming that dying scene? Was it the ultimate scene you shot?

The last word scene I filmed was as soon as I’m being photographed by the Squid Recreation organizers. The scene when Jun-hee presents begin was so explicit to Hyun-ju because of the beginning of a life is such a holy and sacred issue. Notably as a trans lady, I consider Hyun-ju would have loads of emotions swirling inside her watching that happen. When Myung-gi stabs me throughout the once more and kills me, there’s a line throughout the script that claims, “Hyun-ju’s soul leaves her eyes.” So I tried to stay true to the script.

Sooner than Hyun-ju’s dying, we moreover see her in movement, killing two completely different avid gamers in self-defense. What preparation went into the choreography for these violent scenes?

Sooner than we obtained into capturing the scene, we went to movement school to start off with the basic teaching, after which we realized the choreo for that scene. We did a bit bit little little bit of adjustments on set, nonetheless we principally adopted the choreo that was given to us. And considered one of many two actors who I fought with in that scene really spent seven years in a Chinese language language temple known as Shaolin Temple, which is assumed for martial arts. So that man was so skilled, he knew tips about learn how to act and react. Together with him, I knew I’d create a extraordinarily cool scene. The required issue as soon as I used to be filming that scene was that Hyun-ju truly wanted to protect Geum-ja and the brand new youngster youngster, and with the intention to do that, she wanted to kill these people. Nonetheless she is unquestionably a extremely warm-hearted explicit particular person, and has a wonderful moral compass, so I assumed that she would hate to kill these people, even when she has to. So I thought-about wanting away when stabbing because of she didn’t have to see that she was really killing anyone. So every time she’s stabbing anyone, she’s wanting away.

That’s a extraordinarily fascinating various. I moreover favored the second the place, after you kill the ultimate participant, you trace the blood in your face. One different participant on the crimson workforce thinks of trying to kill you, nonetheless decides to keep up taking place the hallway because of they’re too sacred.

Director Hwang was really very keen on that scene, because of he suggested me that when Hyun-ju is wiping off the sweat and there’s blood stained all through her face, she obtained to look badass. We went for like 10 or additional takes to make her look truly cool in that scene. And as you talked about, there’s the alternative participant who merely passes by and decides to not battle me. I consider that was very humorous — it’s a scene that reveals Hyun-ju’s charisma and aura. So that’s moreover a second I keep dear to my coronary coronary heart.

All the set for the conceal and search recreation is unbelievable, and feels so overwhelming. Can you talk about how expansive it was? All of it seems very smart.

The set for conceal and search was really just one floor. It seems choose it’s obtained numerous flooring everytime you watch the current, nonetheless that’s all achieved with CGI. The overarching thought for the conceal and search set was the ocean. And also you perceive how the ocean is the trail to all life, it presents begin to all life, and Jun-hee gave begin in that setting of an ocean. So I assumed that was vital.

I do know you talked about that Hyun-ju died ahead of she should’ve. Now that the gathering is wrapped, how do you’re feeling concerning the place you obtain to go away off the character? Do you’re feeling akin to you obtained to do her justice?

It’s always exhausting to say goodbye to your characters, however it’s significantly exhausting if it’s Hyun-ju, who’s such a cool character and such a nice explicit particular person. It was very exhausting for me to say goodbye to her, significantly because of I obtained so much love and help from followers all internationally. And I consider me being a cisgender actor participating in a transgender character, it moreover has its which implies, to some extent, because of we’re all people, we deserve the equivalent amount of affection and respect. Although I’m a cisgender actor participating in a transgender character, the LGBTQ+ neighborhood observed Hyun-ju beneath a extremely optimistic light. They preferred, revered and supported her, and I’m in order that eternally grateful for what they’ve achieved for her.

It feels very important that Hyun-ju died alongside the first one who accepted her as trans, along with Geum-ja, who took for for much longer to simply settle for her. There’s two completely completely different views that additionally come collectively for her in the end.

The aim for the three women was the equivalent: Protect the brand new youngster youngster. It was like women solidarity collectively. And as you talked about, Geum-ja took a bit bit additional time to warmth as a lot as Hyun-ju and accept and embrace her as her pal and family. She goes by way of that transformation, and I consider that’s what’s truly essential. If there are people in the marketplace that even have prejudices and biases in opposition to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, I hope they could warmth as a lot because it much like Geum-ja did.

This interview has been edited and condensed.