Nobody wanted to make Squid Game – now it has 14 Emmy nominations, stars the hottest Korean actor and competes with the likes of Succession

In 2009, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk could not get an actor to commit to playing the lead in what would become Squid Game. Now it has 14 Emmy nominations

Hwang discusses why the show is so popular now and his struggles making it a reality, while Lee Jung-jae talks about his character Gi-hun being an ‘anti-hero’

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Squid Game is Netflix’s most popular series to date, and stars one of South Korea’s biggest actors in Lee Jung-jae. But for years no production company would touch it. Photo: Netflix

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Published: 4:15pm, 26 Aug 2022

For a very long time, no one wanted to make Squid Game. No one, that is, but creator-writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk.

Then one of Korea’s biggest stars, suave box office champion Lee Jung-jae, signed on to play the show’s grubby, compromised hero, and the deeply symbolic, meticulously designed, bare-knuckle commentary on the chasm between haves and have-nots took off, becoming Netflix’s most popular series to date.

Now it has 14 Emmy nominations, including for Hwang’s writing and directing, Lee’s acting and for best drama series. It is the first foreign-language series to receive nominations in any of those categories, as well as in many others. The awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles, California, on September 12.

“The Oscars are more global; the Emmys are very American. I’m very thankful for them opening the doors to non-English content for the first time,” says Hwang by Zoom.

Hwang Dong-hyuk is the creator of Squid Game. Photo: Netflix

“I think the show resonated with the global audience because we have a lot of visual aspects besides the language – we have symbols, the design, the set, the wardrobe – I think that’s what drew the attention of the global audience that doesn’t know Korean,” the director adds.

“And also the theme, the gap between the rich and the poor and the competition, the conflict in our society, is very universal.”