Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has defended his decision to cast a cisgender male actor as a transgender character in the second and third seasons of his hit Netflix series.
Korean actor Park Sung-hoon plays Hyun-ju, a transgender woman and former special forces soldier who is attempting to take home the prize money in order to complete her gender-affirming surgery.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Hwang said there had been “misunderstandings” about casting Park after the decision sparked a backlash from people who had wanted the role to go to a trans actor.
“I do understand that there has been some concerns from the Western world, from the U.S., but in the case of Korea, we didn’t have as many concerns because of the Eastern or Asian culture,” said Hwang.
“In Korea, there are really not many transgender [people] who have come out and are actors, and there’s just a couple of gay [actors] who have come out publicly, so it was physically difficult to find a transgender actor who could really play the role. It was, realistically speaking, nearly impossible.”
Hwang went on to say that he had been surprised, and moved, by the reaction of Western viewers.
“There weren’t really much feedbacks or criticisms in the Eastern world, but in the case of the Western world, in the U.S., I know that it was quite a sensitive issue,” he said.
“And I understand that there has been concerns. I looked through some reactions by U.S. [fans] and I actually came across a YouTuber [who is] transgender.
“She said that in the beginning, she wasn’t sure why a straight man had to play the role of Hyun-ju. But then, even though she was not sure in the beginning, as she progressed, she realized and she was actually touched by the character of Hyun-ju, played by Park Sung-hoon, who is a straight man, because she was moved by how beautiful and how genuine this character portrayal was. It actually moved her to tears.
“So I was able to realize that maybe the misunderstandings have been resolved, and the intention that I tried to portray was well delivered to the audience. I was quite relieved by those reactions.”
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Hwang added that he has nevertheless resolved to aim for “authentic” casting in future. “Going forward, I will try my best to do authentic casting for not just transgender [people], but other sexual minorities as well,” he said.
“And I really hope that we could move toward that kind of society. But in the case of East Asian culture, like Japan or China or Korea, it’s really difficult to do that kind of authentic casting. I really hope that going forward we have a more open and inclusive and embracing society that enables that.”
The third and final season of Squid Game is set to arrive on Netflix on June 27.
