In less than a month, Netflix’s dystopian thriller Squid Game has officially become a cultural phenomenon, with record viewers on the streaming platform.
The success was a surprise to the hyper-violent show’s creator, Hwang Dong-Hyuk. But he tells Good Morning America he always envisioned the global appeal of the show.
“If you look at the cast of characters, you have the elite member of society, Sang-woo. You have the…middle-class man, Gi-hun. You have the migrant worker, Ali…and you have Il-nam, who…represents the senior class,” he said. “…I think they constitute the minority in any country in the world.”
Dong-Hyuk was 38 and broke — and living off his mom, like the show’s main character Gi-hun — when he wrote Squid Game more than 10 years ago.
“The first game — was the most difficult and scary thing to film,” recalls the creator. It was a grown-up version of the kid’s activity “Red Light/Green Light” — except the penalty for moving is death. “It was like seeing 456 characters all move according to choreography, like watching a K-Pop band, because all these people had to move and stop in unison,” Hwang says.
Squid Game has reached #1 in 94 countries and has been translated into over 30 languages, but Dong-Hyuk pleaded, “please, please watch the subtitle” version. “Because if you don’t see — the acting, the performance from the real actor…You’re missing — most of [the] Squid Game fun.”
For a second season, Dong-Hyuk’s gotten inspiration from many fans, thanks to their own Squid Game challenges on social media.
“Some of them [were] really brilliant, you know?” he said. “So maybe I’ll go through…YouTube again…Then I’ll steal the ideas from the fans,” he added with a laugh.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Mattel revs up Matchbox movie with ‘Extraction’ franchise director Sam Hargrave in the driver’s seat
May 7, 2024
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NetflixBarbie became the biggest movie of 2023 and, as reported,…
Music notes: Post Malone, Gwen Stefani and more
May 7, 2024
The 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards will feature several pop artists as performers. At the May…
“We all love you”: Hilary Duff welcomes baby #4, Townes Meadow Bair
May 7, 2024
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images, FILEHilary Duff is now a mom of four.The Lizzie McGuire and How I Met…
Meghan Trainor’s new video co-stars her husband, son … and Niecy Nash
May 7, 2024
Lauren DunnMeghan Trainor's new video is a family affair.The clip, for her song "To the Moon,"…
Dua Lipa to headline Austin City Limits Music Festival 2024
May 7, 2024
Disney/Randy HolmesDua Lipa has yet to announce a tour in support of her new album, Radical…
Jeremy Renner is “coming out stronger” as ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ shooting draws to an end
May 7, 2024
Paramount+On his Instagram on Tuesday afternoon, Jeremy Renner posted a smiling photo taken behind…
Robert Downey Jr. to make Broadway debut in this fall’s ‘McNeal’
May 7, 2024
Good Morning AmericaFresh from his everything-winning run for Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. is…
Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun feud inspires new docuseries
May 7, 2024
Beth GarrabrantHere's the good news: Taylor Swift's feud with Scooter Braun, which inspired her to…