New Delhi, Jan 18: With great popularity comes more responsibility as an actor and person, says “Squid Game” star Wi Ha-joon, who is motivated by the global success of the Netflix series to deliver his best.
Ha-joon, already a popular name for K-drama lovers with his roles in hit shows such as “Something in the Rain”, “Romance is a Bonus Book”, “Little Women” and “The Worst of Evil”, became a known face world over when the series became one of the most watched shows ever on the streamer after its premiere on 2021.
The 33-year-old actor plays Hwang Jun-ho, a detective whose search for his missing brother leads him to an island where he gets to know about a secret organisation that hosts deadly games involving poor and debt-ridden people for a prize money of 45.6 billion won.
“Because the first season of ‘Squid Game’ became such a big success, I did feel a lot of pressure. Jun ho is featured a lot in episode one and two (of the second season), so I thought Jun ho is responsible for opening the show and I have to perform well. Jun Ho is a character I love, so I was happy to be back as him,” Ha-joon told PTI in an interview from Seoul.
“As I become more and more known to the global audiences, I believe my responsibility as a person and actor increases and this is a great motivation for me,” he added.
In Hwang Dong-hyuk’s “Squid Game 2”, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who won the prize money in the previous season, returns to the games to uncover the secrets behind it and warn participants about its deadly nature.
Ha-joon’s character learned at the end of the first season that the brother that he was searching for is actually at the front of the organisation. In the second part, he has been demoted and works as a traffic cop but reunites with Gi-hun in his mission.
South Korean creators have successfully explored the rich-poor through their stories, whether it is Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film “Parasite”, Netflix’s period zombie series “Kingdom” or “Squid Game”.
Ha-joon believes it has to do with the historical and social background of Korea.
“Korea had to go through a lot of painful experiences like losing independence to Japan, Korean (civil) war, industrialisation and democratisation. And the social and economic injustices and unfairness that people had to go through, led to the pain in their daily lives and that became the background for the success of (such) Korean stories,” he said.
If he were to win the prize money of 45.6 billion won that’s offered in the series, Ha-joon said, he would simply donate it.
“Honestly, in Korea and around the globe, there are many heart-wrenching stories I am hearing so I would love to help those in need with the money,” he added.
Ha-joon also said he would be happy if he gets to “do an international collaboration”.
Is a collaboration with Indian creators also a possibility?
“Of course, I would love to visit India if there is an opportunity,” he added.
“Squid Game 2” also features Lee Byung-Hun, Yim Si-Wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Park Gyu-Young, Park Sung-Hoon and Jo Yu-Ri. (PTI)
