Lee Byung-hun's son, 10, asked why he was 'so mean' in Squid Game, hit co-star T.O.P so badly

Lee Byung-hun's son, 10, asked why he was 'so mean' in Squid Game, hit co-star T.O.P so badly
Lee Byung-hun discussed Squid Game season three on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
PHOTO: Instagram/Lee Byung-hun

Lee Byung-hun cuts an intimidating figure in Squid Game, from his reveal as the villainous Front Man in season one, to him going undercover as a contestant in season two.

While the South Korean actor impressed audiences worldwide, his 10-year-old son Joon-hoo was less than pleased with the role, he revealed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

In a YouTube video uploaded yesterday (June 18), Byung-hun told Jimmy: "I think my son heard [about the show] from his friends in school, and one day, he was so sad and asked me, 'Why are you so mean?'"

When Byung-hun asked what he meant, Joon-hoo said: "You killed a lot of people."

He added that his son was also close to actor-singer T.O.P, who played Thanos in Squid Game season two, and asked his dad why he hit the latter "so bad".

Byung-hun, who turns 55 next month, said that he had to explain that he was only acting, which his son does not fully understand yet.

Back when Joon-hoo was only three, Byung-hun had shown Joon-hoo a clip from one of the G.I. Joe movies where he played Storm Shadow, and was asked where his weapon was and why he wouldn't bring it back from the US.

"I said, 'If I see some strong enemy, I'm gonna bring it back"," Byung-hun recalled.

Byung-hun married actress Lee Min-jung in 2013 and the couple had Joon-hoo in 2015. In 2023, they had their second child, a daughter.

With Squid Game's third season set to air on Netflix on June 27, Byung-hun was asked some questions by Jimmy and told to press one of two buzzers to indicate yes or no.

He easily responded that more players would learn his character's real identity in season three.

However, he was hesitant when it came to answering whether he would be playing any of the games or whether old games from previous seasons would make their reappearances.

He pressed both buttons simultaneously for those questions, and also refused to give a straight answer for whether someone other than the Front Man is actually in charge of the games.

But Byung-hun was on board with having a spin-off series about his character someday, decisively pressing yes.

"I'm not sure about that," he said with a caveat. "But there's a possibility and we never know what'll happen."

And he isn't the only one keen on a spin-off.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk said during a recent press conference in Seoul that, while there were no plans for a season four, "if opportunity allows, I am thinking of maybe I could do a spin-off in the Squid Game universe".

He added: "Because sometimes, as I created and wrote the story, I get curious myself.

"What have these characters been up to during these years? I want to explore that, so I do have an idea of doing a spin-off. I feel like Netflix is getting busy.

"Maybe a spin-off, maybe a prequel."

Season two of Squid Game ended in a cliffhanger where Front Man kills one of protagonist Seong Gi-hun's (Lee Jung-jae) best friends.

And while Byung-hun was tight-lipped about the upcoming season on The Tonight Show, he teased during the press conference that the climax of the show would be in season three.

"It's going to be extremely dramatic and intense, and where the actual conflict and showdown between the two characters happens."

Squid Game streams on Netflix.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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