Netflix’s Squid Game, which was released in 2021 and made its way to the list of the world’s most popular series, captivated millions of people with its unique storyline, successful cast, and being a first in the world of cinema. It also gained a large fan base. We have prepared interesting facts about the Squid Game series that you may be hearing for the first time. Please note that there may be minor spoilers.
Interesting Facts about Squid Game!
Many studios rejected the series
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk began writing the script for Squid Game in 2008 and completed it a year later. He then started pitching the project to studios to bring it to life.
However, for 10 years, Dong-hyuk couldn’t convince any studio to invest in the Squid Game project. The series contained a significant amount of violence, which made it difficult to find a studio interested in it. Finally, Dong-hyuk knocked on Netflix’s door and signed a deal with the company to start working on the Squid Game series.
It had a different title initially
In 2019, Netflix announced the title of the series as “Round Six.” This name, which was met with confusion by those who heard it, represented the six games played by the characters. Later on, without any announcement, the title of the series was quietly changed to Squid Game and was released under that name in 2021. Squid Game is a game played by children in Korea and is also the name of the game played by the characters in the final episode of the series.
The phone number in the first episode belonged to a real person
Squid Game begins in the first episode when the main character, Seong Gi-hun, receives an invitation to the game. Someone approaches him and hands him a business card, inviting him to join the game by calling the number on the card.
However, this phone number was not fictional. It belonged to a real person. The owner of the number stated in an interview with MBC Magazine that they started receiving calls after the series was released. They also mentioned receiving text messages, pictures, and calls throughout the night.
However, as they had been using the number for 10 years and it was connected to their work, they couldn’t change it. Eventually, Netflix made edits to hide the number in the relevant scenes.
It was originally intended to be a film
The producer of the series, Hwang Dong-hyuk, revealed in a September 2021 interview with Variety that Squid Game was originally written as a feature-length film. However, due to the script’s length, it was adapted into a series. Dong-hyuk had previously directed successful films such as Silenced and The Fortress.
The contestants’ uniforms caused trouble on the set
The green uniforms that all the contestants had to wear caused a lot of trouble for the production team. Hwang Dong-hyuk, the producer of Squid Game, mentioned in Netflix’s Still Watching video that the uniforms were made of poor-quality materials.
Dong-hyuk also said that the uniforms made the set dusty and sometimes made it difficult to breathe. Some of the actors had allergies to dust, causing their faces to turn red and making it challenging for them to work.
Player 240 was originally intended to be male
Ji-yeong, portrayed by Lee Yoo-mi, was originally intended to be a male character and be player 240 in Squid Game. However, the director thought that the number 240 would be more suitable for a female character, so a slight change was made to the script.
Real tempered glass was used for the Squid Game
In the final episode of the series, the contestants had to step on tempered glass panels on a narrow bridge as part of the Squid Game. The goal was to cross the bridge by stepping on the glass panels, some of which would break while others wouldn’t.
The director of the series used real tempered glass panels that could break during the shooting. In an interview, he mentioned that he wanted the actors to feel genuine fear, and that’s why real tempered glass was used.
The director lost several teeth due to stress
Director Dong-hyuk revealed in an interview that he lost six teeth due to extreme stress while writing the script. He also mentioned that it took six months to complete only the first two episodes and that there were some challenges along the way.
In this content, we discussed interesting facts about the Squid Game series. What are your thoughts on this topic? Share your opinions with us in the Comments section below.
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