This article contains light spoilers from Squid Game Season 2 that impact the plot of Season 3.
Before starring in Squid Game seasons 2 and 3, actor Park Sung-hoon spent six years on South Korea‘s theater circuit, appearing in over 15 shows and musicals.
He tells Deadline that his theater training and experiences prepared him for some aspects of his role in Squid Game as Hyun-ju — in particular, an emotional and revelatory soliloquy that he delivers in the series.
The theater world also brought him into the orbit of fellow actor Park Hae-soo, who starred in the first season of Squid Game as Cho Sang-woo (Player 218) — with whom he shares a special connection offscreen.
“Park Hae-soo is in the same agency that I am in, and we go way back from when we were in theater together,” says Park. “I’ve never been in a series which had this kind of universe before, so I really wanted to be part of it.
“When they were filming season one and even after it came out, they had no idea that they were going to make a second season, so I didn’t think of becoming part of it,” says Park. “But when I heard the news that season two was greenlit, I jokingly told people around me that I wanted to be in season two. My dream came true and I still remember the day when I put on my green track suit and entered the dormitory.
“Park Hae-soo’s player number was 218 and my birthday is February 18, and we are four years apart. I filmed the second season four years after he did, so I think this is destiny,” adds Park.
However, when he first received the role, he had reservations about taking on the transgender character of Hyun-ju in the series.
“In the beginning, I had my doubts about whether it would be alright for me as a cisgender actor to play a transgender role, but after reading the script, Hyun-ju is such a cool and charming character, and I really wanted to use this opportunity to portray her in an authentic way, so that people would not be mad about me playing the character,” says Park. “Because Hyun-ju is such a great character, I could gather up my courage to play her.”
As part of Park’s preparations for the role, he interviewed some individuals from the transgender community to get advice, and also frequented transgender bars.
“I also talked to Director Hwang a lot about how to shape this character, because we wanted to make sure that we were avoiding any caricatures,” says Park. “We didn’t want to reduce her to stereotypes, so we focused more on her qualities, like being selfless, caring for others, having charisma, leadership and being very brave. I really focused on the way that she looks at people very warmly, and the perspective that she has on life and her attitude towards others.”
Park took a break from theater in 2017, appearing in films like High Society and Forbidden Dream as well as television shows like Rich Man and The Glory. He made a return to theater in 2024, playing a role in “Bbangya,” which Park says it’s his most memorable theatrical role.
“It’s a theater piece that personifies objects, and I played the role of a rifle,” says Park. “I was a personified version of a rifle, so I would sometimes be used in massacres like the Korean War, or used by the Japanese imperialist army. It showed the life of a rifle, and in a sense, also showed the modern history of Korea. I thought that it was a very clever piece of writing.”
On the differences between acting for television versus theater, Park says: “When you’re in the practice room for a theater piece, you can try many different versions. There are very diverse roles in theater and diverse emotions that come with those characters, so it was very beneficial.”
His biggest takeaway from being part of the history-making Squid Game series?
“My takeaway from this series is that while this show depicts death games with lives on the line, it ironically shows the sacred value of life,” says Park. “This is something that I just personally believe in, that this world is worth living in.”
