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Director and creator of the critically acclaimed Netflix series Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk, revealed why he didn't cast a real trans actor for the role of a trans character in the show's return — he simply wasn't able to.
In an interview with TV Guide, Hwang explained that he'd seen the backlash coming for the aghast reactions he'd received from fans upset with the decision to cast a cis actor, Sung-hoon, for the role of Hyun-ju, a transgender woman, in the show's season two installation.
"I did anticipate such discussions to arise from the first moment I began creating the character Hyun-ju," Hwang said.
"In the beginning, we were doing our research, and I was thinking of doing an authentic casting of a trans actor."
After doing a bit of digging, however, Hwang's hopes to diversify his cast were quickly dashed.
"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," he said.
"It was near impossible to find someone who we could cast authentically," Hwang continued.
"And that led us to the decision to cast Sung-hoon. 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."
When it comes to LGBTQ rights, South Korea is still several steps behind the U.S., with the country not yet having legalized same-sex marriage, with discrimination against the queer community still running rampant.
It wasn't until July that South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples, according to Amnesty International.
Squid Game Season 2, which recently got nominated for a Golden Globe Award ahead of its release, is set to premiere December 26 on Netflix.
English (US) · 