Squid Game: The Game They Hired An Expert To Play

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Contains spoilers for “Squid Game” Season 2

Although “Squid Game” is set in South Korea, it’s quite accessible for global audiences due to many deadly games in the show being based on popular children’s games from there. However, one game that might be unfamiliar to international viewers is gong-gi. This game, traditionally played with five pebbles or stones (now often plastic), involves tossing one stone up in the air and quickly picking up the rest in a particular sequence that becomes progressively harder as you go. The final challenge is to catch the tossed stone in the same hand as the others have been gathered.

In the upcoming season of “Squid Game,” Kang Dae-ho, portrayed by Kang Ha-neul, is part of Seong Gi-hun’s team. He performs exceptionally well, making it seem effortless, but if you pay attention, the camera mostly focuses on his hands and the game pieces. This implies that the actor might not be solely responsible for the impressive play, as they needed to bring in a professional expert to assist with the game scenes.

In a documentary made by Netflix about the making of the show, Ha-neul mentions that he worked diligently to master the skill, but eventually, the director decided to bring in a professional instead. “I was beginning to grasp it,” Ha-neul says in the documentary, “but the director called in an expert.” The expert was incredibly skilled, using both hands to perform at all five levels. They filmed this and made it appear as if Dae-ho was playing.

The spinning top game became a problem for Lee Byung-hun

The behind-the-scenes documentary of Netflix’s “Squid Game” Season 2 suggests that while a specialist was utilized to ensure Kang Dae-ho’s gong-gi scenes appeared flawless, the other actors performed their own games for the most part. This was facilitated by the fact that many of the games portrayed in Season 2 were relatively straightforward.

In the second round of play, competitors were required to assemble into groups of five and finish five mini-games within a timeframe of five minutes to advance: Ddakji, Biseokchigi, Gong-gi, Jegichagi (resembling hacky sack), and spinning top. However, it was the spinning top game that caused some trouble for actor Lee Byung-hun. He portrays Hwang In-ho, a character who is eventually unmasked as the Front Man in “Squid Game” Season 2’s major plot twist.

As a right-handed gamer, I had my concerns when it came to the spinning top scene in the series. You see, my character is left-handed, and I was afraid I’d mess up quite a few takes due to this difference. Thankfully, it turned out that I didn’t have to worry too much. Just like they skillfully handled the gong-gi scene, the editors managed to keep any mistakes hidden from the audience’s eye.

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2025-01-07 14:59