The creator of Squid Game has addressed criticism over casting a cisgender man to play a trans character in season two.
On 26 December, the Netflix dystopian thriller returned for its highly anticipated second entry.
Picking up three years after the deadly events of season one, the new batch of episodes follows former Squid Game winner Gi-hun, aka Player 456, as he tries to “find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport.”
The official synopsis adds: “Using this fortune to fun his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway.
“But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.”
Since its release, Squid Game season two has received generally positive reviews, with fans and critics praising the series for its countless twists, cast performances, and dynamic story.
However, the second season has also faced its share of controversy, particularly regarding its new trans character, Hyun-ju.
Played by Park Sung-hoo, Hyun-ju is a former special forces solider who enters the game as player 120 to fund her gender-affirming surgery.
Before its premiere, LGBTQIA+ viewers expressed concern over Hyun-ju being played by a straight cisgender actor – with some calling out the show for not casting a trans actor.
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In a recent interview with TV Guide, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk addressed the criticism – revealing the “heartbreaking reason” for his casting decision.
“I did anticipate such discussions to arise from the first moment I began creating the character Hyun-ju,’ he explained to the news outlet.
“In the beginning, we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor. When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately, in the Korean society currently, the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking.”
Due to the lack of openly trans actors in South Korea, Dong-hyuk said it was “near impossible” to cast Hyun-ju authentically, resulting in Sung-hoon landing the part.
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While his decision has stirred controversy, Dong-hyuk recently expressed his hopes that the character of Hyun-ju will spark positive change in an additional interview with Decider.
“Today, unfortunately, in Korean society, the gender minority is a group that is not as accepted widely within society. Which is why I created the character Hyun-ju as a male to female transgender woman,” he told the online publication.
“By creating a character much like Hyun-ju and through her choices, her actions, and the way she carries herself in the game, I hope that that could raise awareness of these issues that we face today.”
Squid Game season two is now available to stream on Netflix.
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