Actor Lee Byung-hun has opened up about the controversy surrounding Choi Seung-hyun‘s (TOP) involvement in the casting of the series.

Lee Byung-hun recently met with Donga.com for an interview about the Netflix series ‘Squid Game Season 2’ (hereafter ‘Squid Game 2’) at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and talked about the series.

On this day, regarding the rumors of actor Choi Seung-hyun’s (TOP) involvement in the casting of ‘Squid Game 2&, which were controversial when the casting was revealed, Lee Byung-hun emphasized, “When it comes to casting, I think it‘s an overstep of one’s authority for an actor to speak up while doing this work. Of course, the director asks, ‘How do you think of this person?’, but I think they can also be asking about personal relationships. Talking about casting is an overstep of one‘s authority.”

Regarding the controversy surrounding Choi Seung-hyun’s acting, Lee Byung-hun said, “I think he showed everything that the character had to offer. He has an energy and energy that ordinary people don‘t understand. He even uses drugs. When I read the book (script), I thought this character was a very unique character and that he would stand out. When I read a script with several characters, there are characters that I think, ‘I don’t know who will be cast, but I can see the role.’ I think he was one of those characters.”.



Lee Byung-hun also said, “At least in the scenes where we‘re together, I told him (Choi Seung-hyun) to just say his lines on set. If there are rookies who think they’re still awkward or anxious about acting, they take that approach. I think it‘s an overstepping of authority to say ‘This isn’t it’ to each other, even if they‘re juniors. I think a careful approach is needed. I suddenly had that thought while I was adjusting my lines. (Choi Seung-hyun) also said, ”I think I hit him in ‘Iris’, but it’s been a really long time since I‘ve had this thought.“

Meanwhile, ‘Squid Game 2’, released on December 26th of last year, is a story about Ki-hoon (played by Lee Jung-jae), who vows revenge and returns to the game, and the fierce confrontation between the frontman (played by Lee Byung-hun) who greets him, and the real game starting again.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com