The Secrets Of Squid Game: Cast and crew reveal behind-the-scenes details of all six games… including an on-set honeycomb artist, a full size Red Light, Green Light doll, REAL glass stepping stones and a constant sense of ‘dreamlike fear’
- ****WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS****
- The South Korean Netflix series has taken the world by storm in recent weeks, with the show on-track to become the most popular in the streaming service’s history
- Viewers watch as 456 players participate in a series of children’s game with deadly consequences for losers
- In a new behind-the-scenes video shared by Netflix, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, art director Chae Kyoung-Sun and a number of stars of the show revealed the ins and outs of each task
The cast and crew of Squid Game have shed light on the intricacies of each task featured in the survival drama.
The South Korean Netflix series has taken the world by storm in recent weeks, with the show on-track to become the most popular in the streaming service’s history, as viewers watch 456 players participate in a series of children’s games to win an eye-popping prize – however there are deadly consequences for losers.
In a behind-the-scenes video shared by Netflix, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, art director Chae Kyoung-Sun and a number of stars of the show revealed the ins and outs of each task – including the full-size doll used in the Red Light, Green Light game, the ‘dreamlike’ backdrops and the sheer terror felt among the cast.
Wow! The cast and crew of Squid Game have shed light on the intricacies of each task featured in the survival drama
Creator Hwang said: ‘We thought a new series about survival games, with more Korean characteristics would be fun’, while art director Chae said: ‘We created the places and displays trying to make the viewers think of the hidden intentions of Squid Game with us.’
Lee Jung-jae, who portrays Seong Gi-hun (aka player 456), said: ‘Entering the film set on the first day we were busy taking pictures. The set was almost dreamlike’, while Wi Ha-jun, who plays Jun-ho, said: ‘Reading the script I would imagine a picture of the sets but the real sets were completely different’.
Jung Ho-yeon, who plays Sae-byeok, said: ‘Being in the scene was very fantastic. It was like being in the world of fantasy but on the other hand it was very emotional, dramatic and theatrical’, while Park Hae-soo, who plays Sang-woo, added: ‘These pictures were very shocking well beyond my expectations and my imagination.’
So what went on at each task?
Speaking out: In a behind-the-scenes video shared by Netflix, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, art director Chae Kyoung-Sun and a number of stars of the show revealed the ins and outs of each task – including the full-size doll used in the Red Light, Green Light game, the ‘dreamlike’ backdrops and the sheer terror felt among the cast
Terror: The first game in the series of deathly contraptions is called Red Light, Green Light, where a vast doll oversees a ‘playground’ filled with adults who are mown down if they move when the doll’s head is turned
TASK ONE
The first game in the series of deathly contraptions is called Red Light, Green Light, where a vast doll oversees a ‘playground’ filled with adults who are mown down if they move when the doll’s head is turned.
Chae said: ‘The first game Red Light, Green Light was mostly played in back alleys in the 70s. We referred to the illustrations of Cheolsoo and Younghee from textbooks back then when making the robot.
Hwang added: ‘Red Light Green Light is the sort of game that can be played by lots of people at the same time. It’s also one of the most simple games. So we thought it could give the most shocking plot twist, that’s why it’s first.’
Lee elaborated: ‘It’s almost mob mentality. People in the same clothes, they all look the same, they are so desperate. everyone playing Red Light Green Light to win. That was surprisingly impressive.’
Ouch: The second task in the show saw players given a flat piece of honeycomb with a pre-carved shape in the middle
Dreamy: Jung Ho-yeon, who plays Sae-byeok, said: ‘Being in the scene was very fantastic
TASK TWO
The second task in the show saw players given a flat piece of honeycomb with a pre-carved shape in the middle.
They need to separate the shape from the surrounding part of the candy without it cracking or breaking leading to horrendous pressure for all parties involved.
After struggling through her character Sae-byeok performing the task, Jung revealed that the sweets were actually being produced on the set by a honeycomb instructor.
Jung said: ‘One of the most memorable was the honeycomb. The honeycomb instructor constantly making the honeycomb in the background…
‘The film set smelt like honeycomb all day as there were real honeycomb objects as the director requested. So we brought a honeycomb master and he made objects whenever they were needed.
‘We were trying very hard to make the objects which can represent the feelings of the characters.
Agh! The third task in the terrifying slew of games was Tug-Of-War – with a twist. The participants are handcuffed to the rope and suspended in the air, meaning the losers fall to their deaths
TASK THREE
Fear: Hwang explained that his aim was to ‘tried to simulate the atmosphere of real playgrounds’
The third task in the terrifying slew of games was Tug-Of-War – with a twist. The participants are handcuffed to the rope and suspended in the air, meaning the losers fall to their deaths.
Hwang explained that his aim was to ‘tried to simulate the atmosphere of real playgrounds’.
Hwang added: ‘I thought those kinds of sets can give more of a sense of reality to the actors’ performance.’
Lee said: ‘In that scene, we were playing a survival game to win, in that innocent childlike playground. That itself had feelings of some kind of conceptual art.’
Park said: ‘We don’t normally play Tug-Of-War in real life. I found it requires great physical strength but it was a matter of emotion and mind.
‘Someone has to die and I had to kill someone in order to live. That kind of mental decision.’
Pains: The game of marbles has been what pulled at heartstrings the most among viewers
Amazing: The setting is the real talking point, as the staging was made to look like the backstreets of a Korean village
TASK FOUR
Park said: ‘The playground felt so real like the actual back alleys of the past It was like being in front of the real homes it created a strange nostalgia and tension’
The game of marbles has been what pulled at heartstrings the most among viewers. Den Of Geek describes the game as: ‘Remaining players are asked to pair up, unaware of how the structure might come into play. Once they have chosen partners, they enter a massive room designed to look like a traditional Korean village…
‘Each player is given a bag with 10 marbles, and instructed to play a game of their choosing with their partner. After 30 minutes, whoever has won the game, and all of their partner’s marbles, will pass the round and survive. The loser will be “eliminated.’
The setting is the real talking point, as the staging was made to look like the backstreets of a Korean village.
Park said: ‘The playground felt so real like the actual back alleys of the past It was like being in front of the real homes it created a strange nostalgia and tension.’
Oh Young-Soo, who played the elderly Il-nam, said: ‘I once played marbles so it reminded me of the past the game of marbles. The game represents human beings falsehood and integrity. They are scenes of human nature.
Chae continued: ‘We put the most effort into that. It took so much time. Our main concern was how the sun would set. It has life and death, fake and real in it and this story is about being played in there.
Agh! The glass game is designed to instill sheer terror. Polygon.com explains: ‘The Glass Bridge game is more a matter of blind luck than skill. At the start of the game, each of the sixteen remaining players stands at the opposite end of a gigantic room suspended several hundred feet above the ground’
TASK FIVE
The glass game is designed to instill sheer terror. Polygon.com explains: ‘The Glass Bridge game is more a matter of blind luck than skill. At the start of the game, each of the sixteen remaining players stands at the opposite end of a gigantic room suspended several hundred feet above the ground…
Dreamy: The set was described as Dreamlike
‘Between the entrance and the exit of the room are two “bridges” of side-by-side glass panels, each with 18 panels across. In order to win, players must cross the bridge to the other side of the room within 16 minutes…
‘The catch: each of the panels between the two bridges is made of one of two types of glass: tempered glass, which can withstand the weight of at least two players, and regular glass, which will shatter on impact and send the player plummeting to their death. To make matters worse, even if you somehow manage to make it across to the opposite side, you’ll be pelted by a shower of splintered glass shards that will explode once the time limit is reached.
Jung Ho-yeon said of the stepping stones: ‘Filming stepping stones was actually terrifying’. The set was one metre above ground. We put real tempered glass in there and ran around on it.’
Writer and producer, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, added: ‘A mere 1.5 meters can make you frightened. The glass made them [the actors] nervous. I think we could express the unnoticed rigidity and fear of the body. It felt like really jumping off a high bridge. The game was real and they felt real fear We think that set had the power of realism.’
Hurt: The tragic final game sees a fight to the death between the remaining players
TASK SIX
The tragic final game sees a fight to the death between the remaining players.
Chae said: ‘The first and last game were played in the same spot. We wanted the story itself to tell a story questioning who would be the last. It was about personal strife not mechanism.
Lead star Lee said: ‘We were good when we were kids. We were always innocent, kind and selfless. They brought up those natures of the past and made us play these horrible games’.
Oh Young-Soo said: ‘Nobody was trying to be the winner but in the end the winner set to think they’re not a winner and just a loser in some way’.
The South Korean Netflix series has taken the world by storm in recent weeks, with the show on-track to become the most popular in the streaming service’s history
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