The creator of “Squid Game” has responded to backlash over his resolution to solid a cisgender actor to play a transgender character on Season 2 of the hit present.
Hwang Dong-hyuk spoke concerning the criticism in a brand new interview with TV Information, revealed on Tuesday.
The character on the middle of the controversy — a transgender lady named Hyun-ju — is a brand new addition to “Squid Game,” who reportedly partakes within the lethal competitors as a result of she is “short on money for her gender-affirming surgery.”
Dong-hyuk, who additionally directs the Korean language sequence, advised TV Information that he couldn’t discover a transgender feminine actor to play Hyun-ju. Finally, he employed Park Sung-hoon, a cisgender man, to play the half.
The maelstrom that ensued didn’t shock Dong-hyuk.
“I did anticipate such discussions to arise from the first moment I began creating the character Hyun-ju,” he stated. “In the beginning we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor.”
Nonetheless, the “Squid Game” creator couldn’t discover a Korean trans actor to tackle the function.
“When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking,” Dong-hyuk shared.
Discrimination towards LGBTQ individuals in South Korea is widespread. Identical-sex marriage will not be authorized within the nation. It was solely in July that same-sex {couples} had been allowed to have the identical medical health insurance advantages as heterosexual {couples} following a ruling from South Korea’s Supreme Court docket.
“It was near impossible to find someone who we could cast authentically,” he added. “And that led us to the decision to cast Sung-hoon.”
Sung-hoon was on Dong-hyuk’s radar previous to casting “Squid Game” Season 2.
“I have watched his work ever since his debut, and I had complete trust in him that he would be the right person in terms of talent in portraying this character,” the director advised TV Information.
Sung-hoon’s latest credit embody the Korean hits “The Glory” and “Queen of Tears.”
Solely a small variety of Korean dramas have included transgender roles. The Netflix sequence “Itaewon Class,” which follows an ex-con and his buddies as they struggle to make their bold goals for his or her road bar a actuality, was praised following its launch in 2020 for that includes a transgender feminine character, Ma Hyun-yi.
The half, nonetheless, was performed by a cisgender lady, actor Lee Joo-young.
Season 2 of “Squid Game” premieres Dec. 26 on Netflix.
