The sinister frontman of the Squid game on the surprise character of Season 2 Arc
Squid game 2 it’s finally here! If you haven’t binged the episodes yet on Netflixturn now because this star interview Lee Byung Hoon reveals the storyline for his characterFront Man – someone we barely got to know in season one, but who plays a much bigger role this time around. io9 got a chance to ask Lee more about what it’s like to revisit and significantly expand his previously very enigmatic role.
As the second season reveals, the Frontman plays a much more active role in the games: he’s actually one of the contestants, a shocking revelation that comes a few episodes in after we’ve already seen him in his masked-man ensemble.
For Lee to delve into Front Man – his real name is In-ho, but he identifies himself in the game as “Young-il” – was an acting delight.
“In the first season, I played the frontman as a cameo,” he explained through a translator to io9 and other journalists in the Squid game 2 press event. “And also the character was limited to an operational role with the mask. In season two, the mask comes off and you get more of his story, and I get to tell more of him.”
Thanks to the events of season one, we know that In-ho—brother of determined police detective Jun-ho, whose quest for justice in the Squid Game is a staple of both seasons—one and two—is a past game winner.
“(Season Two explores) why he first got into the Squid game in the first place, how he became this extremely pessimistic person that he is,” Lee said. “He reveals his backstory in season two to (the) other people he plays games with. He creates this false persona, almost a new character, and deceives those he plays the games with. So in the end it’s almost like you get three different character types within one character. There’s Front Man, there’s In-ho, and then there’s Yeong-il.”
He continued. “As an actor, being able to play a character that has such complex and multi-faceted sides is both challenging and very, very gratifying as a performer. And as for the extent to which I would show each of the different elements of the character, that was something that the director (Hwang Dong-hyuk) and I would have constant conversations about so that we could get it just right. “
The Front Man’s journey still has a way to go, as the season two finale certainly shows – especially since none of the players have yet realized who Player 001 is indeed is. Look Squid game 2 on Netflix now.
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