“Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has admitted that the stress of filming the first season of the popular Netflix show took a toll on his health.
He said that the situation at the time was so stressful for him that he lost several teeth while filming the show. The show focuses on following contestants who run into debt and play dangerous games in order to win prize money.
Donghyuk was asked how many teeth he lost during the surgery. BBC interview ‘ was published on November 10, and he replied, “It was 8 o’clock or 9 o’clock.”
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL 29: Hwang Dong-hyuk attends the Louis Vuitton 2023 Pre-Fall Show held at Jamsu Bridge on the Han River on April 29, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Tiffany Boubkeur/WireImage) Getty Images
Donghyuk admitted that the incredible strain involved in participating in the process was extremely taxing.
The 53-year-old said the stress he faced was so intense that he vowed never to make a second film, but eventually changed his mind.
He was asked what caused him to return to the same situation that made him so nervous that his teeth fell out. “Money,” he answered.
“The first series was a huge success worldwide, but to be honest, I didn’t make much money,” Donghyuk told the BBC.
“So doing a second series will also help make up for the success of the first series,” he said.
He also admitted that he was drawn back to the project for other reasons.
“And I hadn’t quite finished the story,” he said.
Los Angeles, CA – June 12: (LR) Squid Game security guards Anupam Tripathi, Lee Jeong Jae, Hwang Dong Hyuk, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Oh Yeon Soo, Kim Ji Young, Park Hye Soo attend. Netflix’s “Squid Game” FYSEE event to be held at Raleigh Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California on June 12, 2022. (Photo credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
He has since admitted to the BBC going into the second series that things have become intense again.
The first series was the most successful Netflix show to date, and as well as facing pressure to repeat that level of success, and with nearly all the characters from the first series being killed off, Donghyuk is no longer in the second series. I had to start over.
A new cast and a fresh set of games are currently in production, with much to look forward to.
“The stress I’m feeling right now is much greater,” he admitted to the BBC. (Related: ‘Squid Game’ actor Lee Byung-hun’s home looted in brazen robbery, police release: report)
“New lines are being drawn. We are in an era of us versus them. Who is right and who is wrong?” he said.
“The Squid Game” Season 2 is scheduled to release on Netflix on December 26, 2024.
