Squid GamecreatorHwang Dong-hyukhas talked about the backlash he received after Season 2 of theNetflixshow came out. Released in December 2024, the second season of the Korean survival thriller featuredthe return of its beloved lead, but also introduced a great number of new characters. Among them was Cho Hyun-ju, a highly-skilled player who used to be in Special Forces before she came out as a trans woman. Playing Hyun-ju is Park Sung-hoon, a cisgender South Korean actor. This casting decision generated controversy when some viewers criticized the showrunner because he didn’t cast a real transgender performer for the role.
Hwang sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about the upcoming release of the third and final season of the acclaimed Netflix series. It was during this conversation that the writer/director spoke about the Hyun-ju casting controversy, saying that it was too “difficult to find a transgender actor who could really play the role”:
“I do understand that there has been some concerns from the Western world, from the U.S., but in the case of Korea, we didn’t have as many concerns because of the Eastern or Asian culture. In Korea, there are really not many transgender [people] who have come out and are actors, and there’s just a couple of gay [actors] who have come out publicly. So it was physically difficult to find a transgender actor who could really play the role. It was, realistically speaking, nearly impossible.”
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Hwang says that the backlash mostly came from U.S. audiences, saying that it was a “sensitive issue” with members of the LGBTQ+ community. He claims that one of the reactions that stood out was by a transgender YouTuber who didn’t understand thecasting decision in Season 2. But then the influencer was eventually captivated by Hyun-ju’s character. Hwang continues:
“I was able to realize that maybe the misunderstandings have been resolved, and the intention that I tried to portray was well delivered to the audience. I was quite relieved by those reactions. Going forward, I will try my best to do authentic casting for not just transgender [people], but other sexual minorities as well.
“And I really hope that we could move toward that kind of society. But in the case of East Asian culture, like Japan or China or Korea, it’s really difficult to do that kind of authentic casting. I really hope that going forward we have a more open and inclusive and embracing society that enables that.”
Hyun-ju Was One of the Few Survivors in ‘Squid Game’ Season 2
In the chaotic Season 2 finale, Hyun-ju managed to make it through the slaughter carried out by the Front Man’s minions. Her special skills proved to be essential when rebelling against the guards, and she was one of the fortunate players who survived the massacre. She will likelyjoin the lead, Seong Gi-hun, in Season 3when the game is reset and players must find a way to make it out alive amid the deadly versions of children’s games. Still, casting aside, wasn’t she one of the standout characters of Season 2—if not the most compelling?
Source:Entertainment Weekly
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