South Korean star Park Sung-hoon says as a cis-gender actor playing a transgender woman Cho Hyun-ju in the globally popular "Squid Game", he approached the character with empathy and hoped viewers would also warm up to her.
In a virtual interview with PTI, the actor spoke about the challenges of portraying a character like Hyun-ju, the massive global popularity of "Squid Game" and his wish to travel to India someday.
A prominent name in the Korean entertainment world with his roles in "Memorials" (Into the Ring), "Not Others", "The Glory" and "Queen of Tears", Park's casting initially attracted criticism in the media but he was eventually praised for his sensitive portrayal.
"That (backlash) was the most difficult part of playing this character... Because I'm a cis-gender actor playing a transgender woman, there could be backlashes and concerns about that," Park told PTI.
"Squid Game", created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, revolves around a deadly contest where 456 players, all facing financial hardship, play a series of deadly children's games to win 45.6 billion won in prize money.
Park, who is returning for the third and final chapter of the series, said he realised early on that authenticity was the key to playing a character like Hyun-ju, a former sergeant in the South Korean military who has been discharged for wanting to transition. Unemployed and disowned by her family, she gets into the games in the hope to earn enough money for a gender-affirming surgery.
"I wanted to avoid caricature and I didn't want to imitate any mannerisms or cliches... I really focused on the qualities that she has. She's a very selfless person, she's charismatic, has leadership, and is very brave.
"Because she's such a cool character, I thought her being a transgender woman was just one of the qualities that she has. If I am empathetic of her when I'm portraying her, I just hoped that the viewers would warm up to her. Like Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-shim), the old lady, warmed up to Hyun-ju in 'Squid Game'," he added.
The third season of "Squid Game" is slated to premiere on Netflix on June 27. The first season of the show premiered on September 17 in 2021 and quickly became the most watched show on the streamer by attracting more than 142 million member households in the first four weeks of its release. It also won lead star Lee Jung-jae an Emmy Award.
Park joined the show in the second season, which aired on Netflix on December 26 last year. The actor is happy that he got to play such an important role in the series but found it difficult to say goodbye.
"It is always very sad to let a character, series or movie go, especially when you have such a cool character like Hyun-ju," he added.
The 40-year-old actor said the many characters and their backstories in "Squid Game" make it easy for viewers to put themselves "in one of the character's shoes and resonate with that person".
"It also talks about the sacred value of life and whether humanity is walking down the right path towards evolution and whether the voting system, for example, is the best way in a free democracy. So, it poses a lot of great questions that we all need to think about," he added. Does he have any plans to visit India someday? The actor said he would love to.
"I was talking to Anupam Tripathi, who played Ali in season one, and I got very curious about this beautiful country, India, and I definitely want to visit there," he said.
Season three of "Squid Game" will also feature Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.
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