Squid Game actor Park Sung-hoon has spoken about his trepidation playing a transgender character in season two of the show, given that the actor is a cisgender man.
- READ MORE: Squid Game season two review
In the hit season, the actor plays the prominent character Cho Hyun-ju, a transgender woman with a military background entering the deadly game to fund her gender-affirming surgery. There was some controversy at the casting, although Park was mindful of the risks from the start
In an interview with Variety, he said: “I was quite amazed at the opportunity — I felt like as an actor it was going to be quite the challenge. I did have concerns about portraying a trans woman because I am a cisgender man, so I really wanted to approach it as cautiously and thoughtfully as possible”.
In December, show director Hwang Dong-hyuk gave an explaination as to why the character was being played by a cisgender man, telling US Magazine: “In the beginning, we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor”.
He continued by saying there were “close to no actors that are openly trans” and that “Unfortunately, in the Korean society currently, the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalised and more neglected, which is heartbreaking”.
The role eventually went to Park, who shared that he would like the character to challenge perceptions of transgender people. “I really hope that Hyun-ju will play a part in maybe getting rid of some of those biases” he said. “I hope that people who belong in those communities will no longer feel discriminated against or experience disadvantages within society”.
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Despite the controversy, the actor has revealed that he has received positive feedback from the transgender community. “Honestly, so much that I can’t read every single one of them” Park says of the feedback. “I loved comments saying that they had never seen a trans character like this before and how it was empowering for them. So, reading these comments, part of me feels relief and a lot of pride”.
Season two of Squid Game has been a huge ratings hit for Netflix, with Hwang Dong-hyuk promising the arrival of a third season “sooner than you’d expect”. He also compared the themes of the show to Korea’s current political turmoil.