'Squid Game' Creator Explains 'Heartbreaking' Reason Why a Cis Man Plays Trans Character Hyun-ju (#120)
Squid Game has earned praise for the way it handles a trans storyline in season two, but fans have been shocked to learn that a cis man actually plays the role of trans woman Hyun-ju.
Hyun-ju, also known as Player 120, is a former soldier who is undergoing her transition and hopes to win money to put toward her gender-affirming surgery.
The role is played by celebrated South Korean actor Park Sung-hoon, 39.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has opened up about the “heartbreaking” reason why they didn’t cast a transgender woman in the role.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I did anticipate such discussions to arise from the first moment I began creating the character Hyun-ju,” he told TV Guide. “In the beginning we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor. When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking.”
“It was near impossible to find someone who we could cast authentically,” he added. “And that led us to the decision to cast Sung-hoon. I have watched his work ever since his debut, and I had complete trust in him that he would be the right person in terms of talent in portraying this character.”
Hwang also explained why it was important to him to include a trans character.
“The people who come to join the games in Squid Game are usually marginalized or neglected from society, and not just financially speaking, but people who would belong to marginalized groups,” he told Gizmodo. “In season one, the representative character for that was Ali, who was a foreigner working in Korea, which is one of the most representative minority groups in Korea. Currently today, unfortunately, in the Korean society the gender minority is a group that is not as accepted widely within society. I wanted to create a character that would represent that. Acceptance of trans people has gotten better recently, but it’s still not where it needs to be. In Korea, when you are a gender minority, it is not as widely accepted yet, unfortunately, and you are still seen to be very much out of the norm. And so by creating a character like Hyun-ju, through her choices, her actions, and the way she carries herself in the game, I hope that that could raise awareness of these issues that we face today.”
Learn more about when season three of the show will premiere!