The actor behind Squid Game hero Gi-hun (Player 456) has discussed how he prepared for his character’s final scenes mentally and physically — including by losing 22 pounds to show the toll being taken.
Warning: Spoilers for Squid Game Season 3 follow.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Korean star Lee Jung-jae said Gi-hun’s last scene was “without a doubt, the most challenging” to shoot of the entire series, requiring he mentally prepare for the character’s toughest choice, and physically show the stress he had been under.
“To get that scene just right — all of the effort that went into mentally preparing for it and maintaining that psychological state — all of that process was really not easy,” Jung-jae said. “Physically, I had gone on a very strict diet for about 14 months, which actually got more strict by the day, up until the day we shot Gi-hun’s final scene.”
“Over that time,” he continued, “I lost about 10 kilograms (22 pounds). I wanted to portray the character in a way where, even if you just saw Gi-hun standing there, you’d be able to feel how much anguish and pain he was going through.”
Within Squid Game’s final two seasons, which tell one continuous story and were filmed back-to-back, an increasingly desperate Gi-hun re-enters the series’ deadly tournament with a plan to bring it down from the inside, but repeatedly fails to upend the plans of its organiser, Front Man.
Gi-hun is on a self-imposed quest to demonstrate the humanity of his fellow players, but can never convince a majority to end the games early. The biggest blow to Gi-hun then comes after the character stages an armed coup, not realising Front Man himself has sabotaged his plans. The loss of numerous allies, including Gi-hun’s childhood friend, sends the character into a near-catatonic state — with the hero barely uttering a line throughout the third season’s opening episodes.
But, by the series finale, Gi-hun has rallied himself somewhat, after being made the protector of a newborn baby. It’s something of an abrupt change and, Jung-jae said the infant’s introduction was initially a shock when first reading the season’s scripts.
“When I first read that part in the script, it was such a horrible page to read — very painful,” Jung-jae recalled. “I thought, ‘How did [Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk] come up with this?! Why have a baby be born under such cruel circumstances?’
“I believe it was the birth of the baby that sparked something again in Gi-hun. I think if not for the baby, Gi-hun probably would have just let go — maybe even of his own life. But with the birth of the baby, he had something he wanted to protect.”
Lastly, Jung-jae said he agreed with his character’s fate — his sacrifice that ensures the baby lives and ultimately survives the season as the games’ winner. Asked whether he had discussed an alternative plan — an option that might have seen Gi-hun survive — with the show’s creator, Jung-jae said he had trusted in the ending that viewers ultimately saw.
“If this project had been more focused just on the entertainment side of being a death-game genre, I don’t think the director would have wanted to end it this way,” Jung-jae concluded. “But Squid Game is different. It’s not just spectacle — it’s about the themes of our inner humanity and societal relationships. I think Director Hwang wanted a very clear and complete ending — one that fits his overall message — even if it meant signaling that there won’t be a season four. I believe he felt strongly that Gi-hun’s final decision was the right end for his arc.”
Squid Game Season 3 has launched to a mixed viewer response but record-breaking viewership overall, sparking speculation that Netflix will pick up on its finale tease for a U.S.-based spin-off.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
