Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of ‘Squid Game’, said money was his main motivation for making season 2 of the hit Netflix series, despite losing ‘eight or nine’ teeth due to stress while filming the the show’s debut.
In a June 2022 interview with Variety After the roaring success of Season 1 of “Squid Game,” Hwang revealed that six of his teeth fell out during the initial production. However, in conversation with the BBC Ahead of the Season 2 premiere next month, Hwang clarified that it was actually “eight or nine.”
Due to the series’ adverse effects on his stress levels and health, Hwang said that at one point he vowed to make another season. But he ultimately changed his mind because of the payday another attempt at the survival horror series could bring him.
“Although the first series was such a huge global success, I honestly didn’t make much money. So doing the second series will also help me offset the success of the first,” he told the BBC, adding that he also “didn’t fully finish the story.”
Hwang has said it before that he was paid upfront for ‘Squid Game’ and was not offered a ‘bonus’ for the show’s success. In response, a Netflix spokesperson told the BBC that it offers “competitive” compensation and guarantees creators “solid compensation regardless of the success or failure of their shows.”
In Season 2, Seong Gi-hun, aka player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), re-enters the Squid game after winning at the end of Season 1. Now armed with the knowledge of what the game is really about, he sets out to save the lives. from other players while trying to convince them to log out and end the game once and for all.
With the first season of “Squid Game” becoming Netflix’s most successful series ever, Hwang told the BBC “the stress I feel now is much greater.” Although he hasn’t lost any more teeth yet, he ended the interview by saying he’s “probably going to have to pull a few more teeth soon.”
Season 2 of “Squid Game” premieres on Netflix on December 26.