‘Squid Game’ creator Hwang Dong-hyuk put his actual teeth into making the show

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — “Squid Game” was a huge hit for Netflix, but the man behind the juggernaut South Korean drama is sharing that it wasn’t all roses for him.

Producer Hwang Dong-hyuk said he lost “eight or nine” teeth during filming of the first season in an interview with BBC.

So why return for a second season?

“Money. Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly I didn’t make much,” he said. “So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too. And I didn’t fully finish the story.”

“Squid Game” explores a dark world in which contestants who are deeply in debt play children’s games in order to win a ton of cash.

In a time of actual war, climate change and, yes, economic inequality, the creator sees the show as a way to explore clashes between classes but also genders, generations and political parties

“New lines are being drawn,” he said. “We’re in an era of us vs them. Who’s right and who’s wrong?”

The sophomore season finds Seong Gi-hun/Player 456 (played by Lee Jung-jae) returning to try and save other contestants. Expect plenty of drama and stress.

But what about the stress of the show’s creator, which caused him to loose teeth last time?

“I haven’t seen my dentist yet, but I’ll probably have to pull out a few more very soon.” he said.

The second season of “Squid Game” premieres December 26 on Netflix.

The-CNN-Wire
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