Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ actress breaks down fan theories
(Credit: Netflix)

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Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ actress breaks down fan theories

Netflix’s Squid Game has become quite the phenomenon, sparking the Korean pop-cultural wave that is currently swelling across the globe. The brutal and gripping premise of the show has led to fans coming up with various theories in order to decode the various questions that the series leaves them with. 

Recently, Vanity Fair got actress Jung HoYeon to react to some such theories.

Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, starring Jung, lee Jung-jae, park Hae-soo and others, the series sees 456 participants taking part in a survival game to win staggering prize money of 45.6 billion Korean Won. They are constantly scrutinised by the panoptic gaze of masked men as they are made to take part in perverse children’s games that lead to imminent bloodshed and gruesome violence. 

A scathing commentary on capitalism, class and economic conflict, power dynamics, human depravity and gambling, the series, set in a dystopian, modern-day Korea, is a terrifying watch. 

HoYeon plays Kang Sae-byeok, a North Korean refugee, who takes part in the titular Squid Game to win the prize money and save her family and reunite with her brother. Her determination and perseverance are what has made her an absolute fan favourite. Fans were heartbroken when she was injured fatally by a shard of glass before being murdered in the penultimate episode. 

Despite her tragic death which was indeed a focal point in the series, Jung seems enthusiastic about it. She was admittedly emotionally exhausted and stressed by the games and would perhaps like to continue as HoYeon and not Sae-byeok. 

In the video with Vanity Fair, HoYeon decodes the crazy fan theories from Reddit and talks about whether she accepts them or not. The theories are wild, observant and pretty interesting. 

There are theories that refer to the ambiguous ending of season one that made one think that Gi-hun would probably go back to become the Front Man, aka the main overseer of the game, which she vehemently opposed. Someone else thought that Sae-byeok’s brother might go to partake in the games for money which made Hoyeon ask her on-screen brother to “stay safe at home”. 

Hoyeon was taken aback by how observant the viewers were, especially the theory that stated that Player 001 was probably Player 456’s father. 

A lot of fans want Sae-byeok to come back despite her death in the first season which led to Hoyeon confirming her death and then joking about how the dead players would have to play as “zombies” on the show if they were resuscitated. She also spilt the tea about how she adores Park Hae-soo as an actor but abhors the character he played, Cho Sang-woo, for his selfish nature. She also spoke of a Korean urban legend that led to the first-ever game on the series with the red and the blue card. 

Before wrapping up, HoYeon was visibly impressed with how crazy these theories were. She ended by saying, “See you next season, maybe”, teasing the fans. 

Squid Game has officially been renewed for season two much to the delight of fans. Watch the series on Netflix now.