‘Squid Game’ Star Wi Ha-jun Talks Hollywood Ambitions & Learning To Love His Character’s Pursuit of Justice

deadline.com:

This article contains spoilers from Squid Game Season 1 that impact the plot of Season 2. Wi Ha-jun has played several memorable supporting roles in Gyeongseong Creature and Little Women, before landing one of his biggest roles yet in the history-making Squid Game series as Jun-ho, the younger brother of In-ho/Front Man (played by Lee Byung-hun).

In the second season, Jun-ho wakes up in hospital, after being shot by his brother and falling off a cliff in Season 1. He crosses paths again with game-winner Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) and Jun-ho embarks on a quest to find the island where another instalment of the violent, winner-takes-all game is taking place. “It was my first time portraying one character over several seasons and I came to realize how important it is for me to love the character,” Wi tells Deadline, about his growth as an actor across both seasons. “I’ve learned so much about this in-depth exploration and research about the character and then translating that into nuanced expression on screen.” On what he loves most about Jun-ho, Wi points out that he admires the character’s moral compass amid the deep personal strife and emotional turmoil he is experiencing about his long-lost brother.  “I’m not saying that Jun-ho is a character who is perfectly moral, but seeing how he puts his life at risk to pursue truth and realize justice was something that I really loved about him as a person,” says Wi. “I also thought that he’s the kind of person that we need these days.

So I learned a lot from him, and I loved him.” Wi also shared about his ambitions to be part of a film or show in Hollywood, following in the footsteps of fellow cast members like Lee Byung-hun (G.I.