Squid Game S1: Director Hwang Dong-hyuk & the Cast Who Changed TV History
A script rejected for 10 years. A director who lost four teeth from stress. Meet Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jung-jae, Jung Ho-yeon, and the full cast of Squid Game Season 1.
π This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on Squid Game Season 1.
π¬ Director β Hwang Dong-hyuk (ν©λν)
π¬ βΆ Watch Hwang Dong-hyukβs Emmy Award acceptance speech on YouTube
The 10-Year Wait
Hwang Dong-hyuk first wrote the Squid Game script in 2009.
That year, he was in real financial trouble. He could not afford to rent comic books from a manga cafΓ©. While reading borrowed copies of Japanese comics like Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji and Liar Game, an idea formed: what if people with nothing to lose played childrenβs games for their lives?
He wrote it. He pitched it. Everyone said no.
βToo weird.β βNot commercial.β βNo Korean broadcaster would touch this.β
The script sat in a drawer for 12 years.
Then Netflix said yes. In 2021, that script became the most-watched piece of television content in human history.
He Lost Four Teeth
Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote and directed every episode himself. No co-writers. No creative partners.
The stress was so extreme that he lost four teeth during production. He talked about this openly in interviews after the showβs release.
Netflix Paid Him a Flat Fee
After Squid Game became a global phenomenon, Hwang spoke honestly about the money.
βI donβt own Netflix stock. I had no profit-sharing deal. I was paid a flat production fee. The show is estimated to have made Netflix around $900 million. I did not see most of that.β
He had publicly said he would not make Season 2. Then he made Season 2. He explained why: βTo earn money.β
Korean and international fans respected the honesty.
π Profile
| Β | Β |
|---|---|
| Full Name | ν©λν (Hwang Dong-hyuk) |
| Born | September 17, 1971 |
| Education | Seoul National University β USC School of Cinematic Arts (MFA) |
| Script written | 2009 |
| Netflix release | 2021 β 12 years later |
| Emmy wins | Outstanding Director Β· (via Lee Jung-jae) Outstanding Lead Actor |
π¬ Key Filmography
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| My Father (λ§μ΄ νλ) | 2007 | Feature debut |
| Silenced (λκ°λ) | 2011 | Based on real school abuse case Β· led to new Korean law |
| Miss Granny (μμν κ·Έλ ) | 2014 | Comedy hit Β· remade in multiple countries |
| Squid Game S1 | 2021 | Emmy Award Β· Netflix all-time #1 |
| Squid Game S2 | 2024 | Continued the story |
| Squid Game S3 | 2025 | Final season |
π‘ Fun fact: Silenced (2011) was not just a film. After it was released, the Korean National Assembly passed new legislation β called the βDogani Lawβ β strengthening punishments for sexual crimes against disabled people. A movie changed Korean law.
π The Cast
Lee Jung-jae (μ΄μ μ¬) β Seong Gi-hun (Player 456)
Lee Jung-jae β first Asian actor to win an Emmy for Lead Actor
π¬ βΆ Watch Lee Jung-jaeβs Emmy acceptance speech on YouTube
Who Is He?
Lee Jung-jae has been a top Korean star since the 1990s. He started as a model and became famous for his looks. Then, slowly, he became famous for his acting.
His crime drama The New World (μ μΈκ³, 2013) showed Korea he could carry a film with pure performance. Squid Game showed the world.
Gi-hun is not a glamorous hero. He is a middle-aged man who failed at almost everything. Messy, weak, gambling-addicted β but somewhere inside, genuinely warm.
In 2022, Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian actor to win Outstanding Lead Actor at the Emmy Awards. His acceptance speech β short, sincere, delivered partly in Korean β was widely praised.
π Profile
| Β | Β |
|---|---|
| Full Name | μ΄μ μ¬ (Lee Jung-jae) |
| Born | March 15, 1972 |
| Debut | 1993 |
| Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor β Drama Series (first Asian to win) |
π¬ Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The New World (μ μΈκ³) | 2013 | Crime drama β widely regarded as a modern classic |
| Assassination (μμ΄) | 2015 | Action thriller β 12M+ Korean ticket sales |
| Squid Game S1 | 2021 | Emmy Award |
| Hunt (ννΈ) | 2022 | His directorial debut β screened at Cannes |
π‘ Fun fact: After Squid Game, Lee Jung-jae made his directorial debut with Hunt (2022) β a spy thriller he also starred in. It was selected for the Cannes Film Festivalβs Midnight Screenings section. Actor turned director, on his first try.
Park Hae-soo (λ°ν΄μ) β Cho Sang-woo (Player 218)
Park Hae-soo β the theater actor who went global
Who Is He?
Sang-woo is Gi-hunβs opposite. Seoul National University graduate. Smart, controlled, calculating. Also hiding from the law β he embezzled money from his clients.
Park Hae-soo came from the theater stage, not TV. He spent years performing in plays before breaking into dramas. That stage training shows in how he plays Sang-woo β every small choice feels intentional.
Sang-woo is not a simple villain. He is a man who crosses moral lines one by one, each time telling himself he had no choice. That slow collapse is what Park Hae-soo makes unforgettable.
π Profile
| Β | Β |
|---|---|
| Full Name | λ°ν΄μ (Park Hae-soo) |
| Born | November 21, 1981 |
| Background | Theater actor β stage-trained |
| Known for | Cold, precise internal acting |
π¬ Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prison Playbook (μ¬κΈ°λ‘μ΄ κ°λΉ΅μν) | 2017 | tvN hit drama |
| Forest of Secrets (λΉλ°μ μ²) | 2017 | Acclaimed legal thriller |
| Squid Game S1 | 2021 | Global breakthrough |
| Money Heist: Korea (μ’ μ΄μ μ§) | 2022 | Netflix Korean remake β lead role |
Jung Ho-yeon (μ νΈμ°) β Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067)
Who Is She?
Jung Ho-yeon was not an actress before Squid Game.
She was a fashion model. Zero acting credits. Never appeared in a drama.
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk found her on Instagram. He felt her face was exactly right for Sae-byeok β a North Korean defector trying to survive in a world that does not want her. He cast her without an audition.
The result? After Squid Game aired, her Instagram followers went from 400,000 to 22 million in two weeks. She became a Louis Vuitton global ambassador. She won SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
One show. Zero acting experience. Global star.
π Profile
| Β | Β |
|---|---|
| Full Name | μ νΈμ° (Jung Ho-yeon) |
| Born | June 23, 1994 |
| Background | Fashion model β no acting experience before Squid Game |
| After the show | Louis Vuitton ambassador Β· SAG Award winner Β· Hollywood projects |
π¬ Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Squid Game S1 | 2021 | Acting debut β SAG Award |
| The Fall of the House of Usher | 2023 | Netflix US series |
π‘ Fun fact: Jung Ho-yeon was cast based on her Instagram presence alone β no audition, no acting reel. Director Hwang said: βHer eyes told me everything I needed to know about Sae-byeok.β
Oh Yeong-su (μ€μμ) β Oh Il-nam (Player 001)
Who Is He?
Oh Yeong-su is a legend of Korean theater. He has been acting on stage for over 50 years.
Most Korean audiences knew his name. But before Squid Game, most could not picture his face.
In the show, he plays Oh Il-nam β the gentle old man in a green tracksuit who becomes Gi-hunβs unlikely friend. Warm. Childlike. And hiding the biggest secret in the entire series.
In 2022, Oh Yeong-su won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series β the first Korean actor ever to do so.
He was 77 years old.
π Profile
| Β | Β |
|---|---|
| Full Name | μ€μμ (Oh Yeong-su) |
| Born | 1944 |
| Background | 50+ years of Korean theater |
| Award | Golden Globe β Best TV Supporting Actor (first Korean actor ever) |
Heo Sung-tae (νμ±ν) β Jang Deok-su (Player 101)
Who Is He?
Jang Deok-su is a gang boss. He is loud, violent, and terrifying.
Off screen, Heo Sung-tae is the opposite. Known for his warm personality and humor. Post-Squid Game interviews where he laughed and joked became viral because audiences could not believe this was the same person.
He has continued building a strong career in Korean crime dramas and films since Squid Game.
π¬ Key Works
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Squid Game S1 | 2021 | Global villain role |
| Narco-Saints (μ리λ¨) | 2022 | Netflix Korea drama |
| The Roundup: Punishment (λ²μ£λμ 4) | 2024 | Major Korean film franchise |
Anupam Tripathi β Ali Abdul (Player 199)
Who Is He?
Ali is the heart of the show.
A Pakistani migrant worker in Korea, he is honest, trusting, and kind in a way that makes every bad thing that happens to him feel unbearable.
Anupam Tripathi is Indian, not Pakistani β and he learned Korean for the role. His Korean in the show is deliberately imperfect, reflecting the reality of many migrant workers in Korea who are still learning the language.
His character represents the millions of foreign workers in Korea who are often invisible to the systems around them.
| Β | Β |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Anupam Tripathi |
| Born | March 18, 1988 |
| From | Patna, India |
| Languages | Hindi, English, Korean (learned for role) |
π Why the Ensemble Worked
Squid Game is not built around one star. It is built around six people whose lives are equally important.
Each character represents a different kind of desperation:
- Gi-hun = personal failure
- Sang-woo = ambition gone wrong
- Sae-byeok = systemic exclusion
- Ali = exploitation of the vulnerable
- Oh Il-nam = what happens at the very top of the system
When one of them dies, a whole worldview dies with them. That is why the show hurts. Every death is a loss β not just of a character, but of a way of seeing the world.
π Where Are They Now? (2026)
| Name | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Hwang Dong-hyuk | Completed the trilogy β Squid Game S3 aired in 2025 |
| Lee Jung-jae | Active in films and directing |
| Park Hae-soo | Active globally β Korean and international projects |
| Jung Ho-yeon | Louis Vuitton ambassador Β· Hollywood projects continuing |
| Oh Yeong-su | Active in Korean theater and screen |
| Heo Sung-tae | Active in Korean crime drama and film |
| Anupam Tripathi | Continued Korean acting career |
π More in This Series
- Part 1 β Spoiler-Free Introduction β
- Part 2 β Every Game Analyzed & Deep Dive β
- Parasite β Director Bong Joon-ho & Cast β
- Most Watched K-Dramas of All Time β
- See all K-Drama posts β
Profile data: Emmy Awards official Β· Golden Globe official Β· Netflix Β· Naver Movie