As the creator behind the global phenomenon squid game, Hwang Dong-hyuk has had quite a year (or decade, if you count when he actually came up with the story). Netflix released the Korean thriller on September 17 – two days before the 2021 Emmy Awards, to give you an idea of someone’s expectations that the show was a prize contender. But after the series became an instant global sensation, Hwang and his cast and crew hit the campaign trail, picking up a string of nominations and wins from award bodies like the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes on their way to making history as the first not. -Western, non-English-language production to earn Emmy nominations in the major category, including Best Drama and Best Actor, for a total of 14. Meanwhile, Hwang — who received individual nominations for directing and writing — has also furiously prepared for the second season (which Netflix commissioned shortly after the show began streaming). He spoke to THR, with the help of a translator, about how he handled it all.
The Emmy nominations were announced just after midnight in Korea. When and how did you hear the good news?
It was about 12:30pm and I was watching it live from Jeju Island in the south of the peninsula where I was writing the script for season two. While I was looking forward to hearing some of the nominations, I was also very nervous because we might not have been nominated.
Out of the 14 nominations the show received, were there any that you are particularly proud of?
Of course I’m proud of all 14 nominations, but if I had to choose one I would definitely say so [Park] Hae-soo for supporting actor. He’s been campaigning with us for a long time, but this is the first time he’s received a solo nomination. I was so happy that such a prestigious award organization recognized his great work.
Are there words to express how it feels to receive these nominations, whether it be Netflix’s most nominated show this year or the historic nature of this recognition?
This long journey that squid game has been is like a dream. Nobody wanted to make it in 2009 when I first wrote the script and there was no investor, but now we have 14 nominations at the Emmy Awards, the most prestigious award in the US, and I’ve been nominated for both writing and directing. For me this is more dramatic than [protagonist] Gi-hun wins the Squid Game. It’s like a miracle.
There may only be one other person who knows how you feel: Bong Joon Ho, who also made history with the Oscar-winning Parasite. Have you two ever talked about what this experience is like?
I met director Bong a few times and got some advice from him. He told me how exhausting the Oscar campaigning process was. He was actually sick at the time — he thinks it could be COVID — but he had to campaign all of it. Director Bong was preparing for his next project, and he told me he healed himself by working on his script and getting away from the Oscars campaign. He told me, “You get healing by preparing for the next… [project].”
How much do you think the relevance of? squid gamethe themes have changed since you came up with the idea in 2009?
Ten years ago, when I showed the script, a lot of people told me it was creative and original, but not realistic. Now I think a lot of people don’t feel like I went overboard with the story. That’s the biggest difference. There is so much inflation now, and along with the war, the poor are getting even poorer because interest rates are higher, it is harder to repay their debts and gas prices are so high. Ten years ago people thought no one would join a Squid Game, but now people might want to because it’s so hard to make ends meet.
Netflix even makes a literal squid game reality show (minus the fatal stake, of course). What conversations have you had with the creators of that series?
The creators try to stay true to the show, so they ask us for the set design or clothing diagrams to make sure it really resembles the actual squid game.
Given your show’s critique of socioeconomic inequality, what do you think of all these different business opportunities created by squid gamethe huge success?
I think this show is to some extent a critique of capitalism, but let’s say Gi-hun represents 90 percent of all people, ignoring the 10 percent who are really rich. He tries to ask us, ‘Is this world fair to 90 percent of us? And if it is not fair, who is making this world unfair and who is profiting from this unfairness that we are witnessing?” I wanted to make this show so that people realize that the world is unfair and wonder why and where we can start making changes. I’m not trying to say that capitalism in itself is bad – I just wanted to ask this question about what we can do to change our system into a fairer one.
The reason I made the show was to get this message across, but at the same time I also wanted to be successful; I wanted to make money. I think it’s normal for us to have these things around squid gamebecause we live in a capitalist society. A lot has been invested in this show, and the reason is to make money from it. So in a competitive and capitalist world, I think these companies are just normal.
What was your schedule like this past year, with you having to promote the first season while working on the second season at the same time?
We started campaigning last October. I had to work on my next project and also have meetings with lawyers, managers, agents and studios. I’m also working on a feature film, and I have a deadline to write season two of squid game late this year or early next year. So for the past nine months I really ran out of time. This is pretty much the busiest I’ve ever had in my life, and I think I’ll have it for quite some time in the future.
In what mental or emotional state should you write while multitasking? Is doing squid game‘s enormous success help or hinder you?
It would be a total lie if I say I don’t feel any pressure, because so many people are waiting for season two, and season one was just too successful not to be pressured by it. When I’m actually writing the script, I really immerse myself in that world I’ve created, and it feels less scary to me. Once I sit in front of my laptop, I become part of the world I’ve created and completely forget the real world I’m in.
What theme or message do you plan to convey in season two, and will it be in any way a reaction to the reception of the first season, or to more recent developments in the state of the world?
I’ve seen a lot of people’s reactions to the show, but I don’t want to make season two in response to those reactions. The philosophies I put into season one all extend to season two, of course. Instead of trying to live up to the viewers’ expectations, I just thought about the last moment when Gi-hun turned away from boarding the plane, and I thought about what he’ll do next. There will, of course, be a flood of events leading up to the end of the season. I can’t share details yet, but you know that Seong Gi-hun has become a totally new person by the end of season one, so season two is about what that new Gi-hun is going to do and how things will unfold with this new one. kind of character.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
This story first appeared in a standalone August issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.