Squid Game fame Yim Si-wan (Player 333) has opened up about filming the season’s final scene where his character makes the shocking decision to kill his own baby in a last-ditch attempt to win $45.6 billion prize.
The finale of Netflix’s global hit, which premiered on June 27, topped charts in all 93 countries and racked up over 60 million views in just three days, leaving fans stunned and emotional. While the Front Man had served as the show’s central antagonist for two seasons, Lee Myung-gi (Player 333) emerged as the most hated character in its final moments. The audience was quietly hoping for a possible alliance between Myun-gi and Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), until Myun-gi turned against him and used his own child as bait to win the game. Earlier, he had spinelessly abandoned his pregnant girlfriend Kim Jun-Hee (Jo Yu-ri), and left her to die. Talking about the filming of his gut-wrenching final sequence, Si-wan told The Hollywood Reporter:
“It was the worst situation. Looking back on filming that scene, I still didn’t really have full conviction or understanding of what kind of character Myung-gi is, even until that very last point. All the way up until then, I was always questioning his motives and what kind of character he is deep down.”
Yim Si-wan Breaks Down His Character, Says He Was a “Pathetic Coward” and a Mirror to Humanity
Image via No Ju-han/Netflix
Yim Si-wan interpreted his complex role as Lee Myun-gi in Squid Game season 3 and went on to add that it is more than a critique of capitalism in the following words:
“In my view, he shows what happens to a person when they’re put in an extreme position between morality and selfishness, and the ending that will find them if they make the wrong choice.”
Myun-gi’s morally grey arc, however, kept fans on edge. Some characters were easy to love or hate, but Myun-gi left fans torn. It was hard not to feel sympathetic towards him during his fights with Thanos (T.O.P), or to loathe him in the end for his decisions. He was given several chances to redeem himself, but his transformation into what Si-wan called a “pathetic coward” felt uncomfortably human.
Si-Wan also shared that he received a flood of reactions from all over the world, most of which were hate messages and comments from his friends and fans, but he understands the role’s impact and “needs to love the hate”. When asked about an alternate ending, Si-wan said he often questioned Myung-gi’s survival in the game. If it were up to him, the character would have died sacrificing himself for his girlfriend Jun-Hee, so she could win and raise the baby.
The final season of Squid Game is now streaming on Netflix.
 |
Squid Game |
|---|---|
| Cast | Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon, Heo Sung-tae |
| Release Date | September 17, 2021 |
| Stream On | Netflix |
| Directed by | Hwang Dong-hyuk |
| Produced by | Kim Ji-yeon, Hwang Dong-hyuk, Kim Tae-hyun, Kim Young-kyu |
| Based On | Original concept by Hwang Dong-hyuk |
| Plot Summary | A survival game series where 456 contestants risk their lives in deadly games to win a massive cash prize. |
| Musical Elements | Score by Jung Jae-il, adding tension and atmosphere to the intense survival story |
| Current Status | Squid Game final season streaming on Netflix |
Follow Us
