[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the Squid Game season three finale, “Humans are …”]
Lee Byung-hun’s masked antagonist, often known as The Entrance Man, has stalked the perimeters of Squid Recreation since its debut — the coolly enigmatic determine who oversees the present’s cruel contest with a disturbing sense of detachment. However in seasons two and three, and particularly within the sequence finale launched final Friday, the character steps ever additional into the highlight, revealing new dimensions of sorrow, cynicism, and possibly even a lingering sliver of ethical battle.
Performed with masterful restraint by Lee, one among Korea’s most celebrated film stars of the final twenty years, the Entrance Man is enigma personified, a person hollowed by tragedy whose solely obvious pleasure is his unnerving devotion to process — and maybe the occasional whisky sipped in solitude. However the Recreation grows more and more private for him after Gi-hun, aka Participant 456 (Lee Jung-jae), re-enters the competition on a mission to problem its central tenant — that human beings are essentially egocentric and unworthy of grace or respect. In face of Gi-hun’s sacrifice and unwavering dedication to primary human dignity, does a crack in the end emerge in The Entrance Man’s fatalism, or will he at all times stay the Recreation’s loyal servant?
In a wide-ranging sit-down with The Hollywood Reporter, Lee opened up about his character’s evolution and the layered that means behind a number of of the finale’s most debated moments — together with the Entrance Man’s cryptic encounter with Gi-hun’s daughter, and that surprising encounter with the recruiter performed by Cate Blanchett on the streets of Los Angeles.
***
From the start, Squid Recreation has been famed for its exceedingly darkish imaginative and prescient of humanity, and the actual world outdoors the present has arguably solely grown darker through the 5 years because the sequence first went into manufacturing. Quite than dwelling on that, although, I wished to begin by asking whether or not there was something about making Squid Recreation that gave you hope, or made you are feeling higher about human nature in an surprising means.
After all, Squid Recreation is a present that explores the darkest elements of our social and political state of affairs, whereas additionally diagnosing an absence of humanity. So to see a narrative like that resonate with folks all around the globe? I used to be completely happy the present we had labored so exhausting on was profitable. However one other a part of me, I’ve to confess, felt fairly bitter about the truth that these points resonated with so many individuals in such an pressing means. Later, although, I had one other thought: The present in the end says that we have to get up and take a look at what we’re doing to one another. So, the truth that folks all around the globe are connecting with this present and stopping to have interaction with and take into consideration these themes — our collective lack of humanity — that would additionally imply there may be hope for us. That’s the hopeful means of wanting on the complete phenomenon.
(L to R) Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Lee Byung-hun as Frontman in season three.
No Ju-han/Netflix
The Entrance Man is profoundly enigmatic all through the complete run of Squid Recreation. What did you come to grasp about his beliefs and motivations all through the method of constructing the present?
You get a quick backstory of him within the sequence. He had a earlier life as a police detective. He was a really extraordinary man with an extraordinary household. However on account of some actually excessive and unlucky circumstances, he misplaced his spouse and baby, and he skilled intense betrayal and desperation, which is what drove him to participate in Squid Recreation. As soon as contained in the Recreation, he witnesses much more brutality and excessive cruelty proper in entrance of him, and all of this makes him into a particularly pessimistic and cynical one who believes that there isn’t a hope left for the world or humanity. And so, as he watches Gi-hun, he thinks that Gi-hun is simply too naive — and that he’ll find yourself identical to himself, and solely time will inform.
About that final level, there have been some key moments the place I used to be actually curious what the Entrance Man was really considering and hoping for. One is when he offers Gi-hun the knife, and watches Gi-hun considering killing the opposite gamers of their sleep. The Entrance Man is watching him very intently, and the viewers is given a flashback to a time when the Entrance Man was put in the identical state of affairs and killed everybody mercilessly. So, in that second, is the Entrance Man hoping Gi-hun will kill everybody simply as he did — or one thing else?
I’m glad you requested, as a result of that uncertainty is strictly what I wished viewers to really feel once they watched that scene. I performed that scene considering there are either side to him. I consider the Entrance Man wished Gi-hun to stay, as a result of Gi-hun is somebody he feels in a different way about in comparison with the opposite gamers, due to the time they spent collectively contained in the Recreation. So if Gi-hun had killed everybody simply because the Entrance Man did, the Entrance Man would have felt a way of victory, as a result of he would have been confirmed proper in his core perception. He might say, “See? You’ve ended up identical to me.”
However, if Gi-hun doesn’t undergo with it — which is what occurs — the Entrance Man will really feel a way of defeat. He would additionally really feel a type of self-reproach, and even envy, in seeing Gi-hun shield his values in exactly the way in which that he did not do. Nonetheless, I feel deep inside him, a part of him was nearly rooting for Gi-hun. The deepest a part of him wished to see Gi-hun not give in and proceed to carry onto hope for the world and for humanity. So I performed that scene considering that he was feeling all of these items, however within the deepest sense, the latter.
It’s actually superb how a lot of that comes throughout in your efficiency, regardless of how little you say and the way temporary that scene is. Have been there elements of your self — your recollections, persona or beliefs — that you simply tapped into that will help you play the Entrance Man, this very spectacular however damaged man?
For actors, each life expertise you undergo, each emotion that you simply really feel in life — all of it turns into an asset. And I feel that whether or not or not I used to be conscious of it after I was studying the script, all of my private experiences affected the way in which I approached the character. So, yeah, there have been positively moments in my life after I puzzled concerning the loss or absence of humanity — and it deeply upset me. It’s exhausting to pinpoint specific experiences or occasions, however I’ve been via a few of these inner struggles. However all the expertise of simply residing life is what most affected the way in which I performed this character.
How did you interpret the scene within the finale between the Entrance Man and Gi-hun’s daughter? Is he stirring the pot to attempt to get Gi-hun’s daughter curious concerning the Video games? Or is that this encounter an indication of his considerably restored humanity — that he wished to present her closure, and personally ship the cash her father received?
I requested that actual query to the director once we had been filming — and he responded by asking me the identical query. So we ended up speaking so much about this scene — what’s he feeling at that time, and what ought to my headspace be whereas I’m attempting to deliver the scene to life? On the finish of the day, I must say it’s nearer to the latter. He’s had a bit of little bit of humanity restored and he’s providing what Gi-hun left behind with a bit of sliver of the goodness that’s left in his coronary heart.
However on the similar time, his strongest feeling is just to make it possible for all the things is completed pretty and by the foundations of the Recreation. Nonetheless, it’s additionally completely pure for the viewers to think about a variety of prospects, as you simply have. Is there one other motive behind this? Is he signaling the start of a brand new sport? Is he sowing the seed in order that the Recreation may be continued? All of that’s in the end open for interpretation. We knew this scene would spark a variety of hypothesis, so we put a variety of thought into it — even all the way down to the element of whether or not the inexperienced tracksuit must be bloody or whether or not it ought to have been washed.
Equally, I used to be questioning why the Entrance Man gave his brother the infant and the infant’s cash. May this be yet one more take a look at of humanity versus greed — to see what his altruistic brother will do with all of that money? Or does he merely suppose that his brother is a dependable particular person and that is the appropriate factor to do?
After all the things he’s been via, I feel the Entrance Man is a bit of sick of testing folks or placing them via trials at this level. I feel that impulse might have left after the Recreation ended — particularly after all the things he went via in his confrontation with Gi-hun, and after witnessing Gi-hun’s sacrifice. So I feel he left the infant along with his brother primarily as a result of he doesn’t have a variety of choices. Most of all, like at all times, he needs to observe the foundations. The newborn received the sport, so the cash ought to go to the infant. His brother is household and he is aware of very deeply that his brother is a dependable and reliable particular person, and that he’ll shield the infant and ensure nobody takes the kid’s cash. The foundations say the cash goes to the kid, and his brother can assist be sure that.
The Entrance Man appears to be like out the window on the recruiter performed by Cate Blanchett in Los Angeles.
Okay, one final scene interpretation query. The Entrance Man’s response to seeing the recruiter performed by Cate Blanchett on the streets of Los Angeles — is he shocked, or did he already know that there’s one other recruiter on the market and the Recreation, or Video games, will proceed elsewhere? I wasn’t positive the way to learn his response.
The director and I talked so much about this scene as effectively. What’s fascinating is that after I first learn the script, I had a distinct impression. I assumed the Entrance Man had already recognized that there was one other sport — precisely the identical — unfolding abroad. However I requested the director, simply in case, and he advised me, “Please play the scene by imagining that you simply didn’t know she was there.” This was actually complicated for me, as a result of I acquired a really completely different impression from the script and we had been fairly near filming at that time. So we mentioned it quite a bit, and right here’s the tone I made a decision to go for in that second: Because the sequence began, the Entrance Man had almost no hope left in humanity — there was solely a tiny little shred of goodness left in him, subconsciously. However via his journey with Gi-hun, he was in a position to nurture that sliver of hope, and by the top, as his Recreation got here to an in depth, he’s attempting to take a look at issues in a different way, considering, “Perhaps Gi-hun was proper; possibly there’s one thing nonetheless there.”
And he’s attempting to succeed in this sense of closure, and the potential for a brand new starting — after which he sees this different recruiter, pulling new gamers into the Recreation. And now he realizes that this by no means ends. It’s all going to only preserve going. So, that sense of bitterness is the primary feeling he’s experiencing in that second. I really puzzled whether or not what I used to be attempting to speak could be delivered to viewers, so thanks for the query.
Cate Blanchett’s look has sparked a variety of hypothesis a couple of potential U.S.-based spin-off. I do know nothing is official, however now that the Entrance Man is aware of the Recreation is underway in America, how do you think about the Recreation would work in the US?
Nicely, relying on the tradition and native circumstances, I suppose the atmosphere and the world and the specifics of the video games might be a bit of completely different. There might be some U.S. parts in there. However nonetheless, as we’ve been discussing, I consider the explanation the sequence obtained a lot love internationally is as a result of folks in every single place can relate to its overarching theme of lack of humanity. I feel that facet is crucial, so the U.S. gamers must undergo a variety of hardship and face unattainable selections. The essence of the Recreation could be the identical.
One other risk followers have gotten enthusiastic about is a Entrance Man spinoff or prequel. If Netflix and a few of your key collaborators are behind it, would you be up for it?
Director Hwang and I’ve been joking a couple of Entrance Man spin-off because the starting. We each thought that the Entrance Man or the recruiter might be fascinating for extra story, as a result of we haven’t actually explored these characters of their entirety but. Their backstory continues to be obscure, and their character continues to be a bit of murky. To have a look at the Entrance Man with a full character examine could be a really enjoyable factor to do. So, as in your query — in fact I’d be keen to star in it. The character has already been constructed and designed, and I’m very compelled by him. Simply because the followers are curious to know extra about him, I’m too. That’s a narrative I’d be very keen to inform.
***
The ultimate season of Squid Recreation is now streaming on Netflix. Learn THR’s tackle the finale cameo and the way it might arrange a by-product and our two-part interview with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on the last season and last scene.