Squid Game Star Endured 'Strict Diet' for 14 Months to Show 'Anguish and Pain' in Season 3 Ending

The histrion down Squid Game leader Gi-hun (Player 456) has discussed however helium prepared for his character's last scenes mentally and physically — including by losing 22 pounds to amusement the toll being taken.

Warning: Spoilers for Squid Game Season 3 follow.

In an interrogation with The Hollywood Reporter, Korean prima Lee Jung-jae said Gi-hun's past country was "without a doubt, the astir challenging" to sprout of the full series, requiring helium mentally hole for the character's toughest choice, and physically amusement the accent helium had been under.

"To get that country conscionable close — each of the effort that went into mentally preparing for it and maintaining that intelligence authorities — each of that process was truly not easy," Jung-jae said. "Physically, I had gone connected a precise strict fare for astir 14 months, which really got much strict by the day, up until the time we changeable Gi-hun's last scene."

"Over that time," helium continued, "I mislaid astir 10 kilograms (22 pounds). I wanted to represent the quality successful a mode where, adjacent if you conscionable saw Gi-hun lasting there, you'd beryllium capable to consciousness however overmuch anguish and symptom helium was going through."

Within Squid Game's last 2 seasons, which archer 1 continuous communicative and were filmed back-to-back, an progressively hopeless Gi-hun re-enters the series' deadly tourney with a program to bring it down from the inside, but repeatedly fails to upend the plans of its organiser, Front Man.

Gi-hun is connected a self-imposed quest to show the humanity of his chap players, but tin ne'er person a bulk to extremity the games early. The biggest stroke to Gi-hun past comes aft the quality stages an equipped coup, not realising Front Man himself has sabotaged his plans. The nonaccomplishment of galore allies, including Gi-hun's puerility friend, sends the quality into a near-catatonic authorities — with the leader hardly uttering a enactment passim the 3rd season's opening episodes.

But, by the bid finale, Gi-hun has rallied himself somewhat, aft being made the protector of a newborn baby. It's thing of an abrupt alteration and, Jung-jae said the infant's instauration was initially a daze erstwhile archetypal speechmaking the season's scripts.

"When I archetypal work that portion successful the script, it was specified a horrible leafage to work — precise painful," Jung-jae recalled. "I thought, 'How did [Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk] travel up with this?! Why person a babe beryllium calved nether specified cruel circumstances?'

"I judge it was the commencement of the babe that sparked thing again successful Gi-hun. I deliberation if not for the baby, Gi-hun astir apt would person conscionable fto spell — possibly adjacent of his ain life. But with the commencement of the baby, helium had thing helium wanted to protect."

Lastly, Jung-jae said helium agreed with his character's destiny — his sacrifice that ensures the babe lives and yet survives the play arsenic the games' winner. Asked whether helium had discussed an alternate program — an enactment that mightiness person seen Gi-hun past — with the show's creator, Jung-jae said helium had trusted successful the ending that viewers yet saw.

"If this task had been much focused conscionable connected the amusement broadside of being a death-game genre, I don't deliberation the manager would person wanted to extremity it this way," Jung-jae concluded. "But Squid Game is different. It's not conscionable spectacle — it's astir the themes of our interior humanity and societal relationships. I deliberation Director Hwang wanted a precise wide and implicit ending — 1 that fits his wide connection — adjacent if it meant signaling that determination won't beryllium a play four. I judge helium felt powerfully that Gi-hun's last determination was the close extremity for his arc."

Squid Game Season 3 has launched to a mixed spectator effect but record-breaking viewership overall, sparking speculation that Netflix volition prime up connected its finale tease for a U.S.-based spin-off.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social