Squid Game Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk was during his tour of the Squid Game: The Challenge set, but he also had a secret cameo in the show itself.
Daisy Lilley, director of Netflix’s UK reality series, revealed that Dong-hyuk wore the iconic red uniform of a security guard and put on a mask on screen.
Lilley revealed the Easter egg during a session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, where Netflix and Squid Game: The Challenge Producers Studio Lambert and The Garden spoke about the show’s BAFTA-winning success.
Of Dong-hyuk’s visit to the set, Lilley said, “I was with him when he walked onto the marble set, and I saw the look of amazement on his face. He was so proud that it had been built. He was picking things up and saying, ‘I can’t believe you found this.’ It was great to have his blessing.”
Lilley did not want to comment on the plans for season 2 of Squid Game: The Challengebut said filming would begin early next year. “If I told you more, I’d have to shoot you,” she joked, referring to the black ink used on the show to simulate contestants’ deaths.
Elsewhere during the session, John Hay, CEO of The Garden, looked back on the filming of last year’s game Red Light, Green Light, which saw some participants require medical attention in freezing temperatures at Cardington Studios in the UK.
“It was a cold day and it was a big, complicated shoot that took a long time because we had to be absolutely meticulous – with so much money at stake and so much at stake – to make sure we were making the right decisions,” Hay said. “We prepared them (the participants), we equipped them, and I’m confident we did everything we could from a welfare and health and safety perspective for the participants.”
Lilley added that Netflix took “lessons learned” from Season 1 that will inform filming next year. “We’re going to try to implement those lessons across the board,” she said.
The Edinburgh TV Festival The game begins… How Squid Game: The Challenge redefined reality TV The meeting was chaired by Jesse Whittock, co-editor for international television at Deadline.
