“Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said money was his main motivation for making Season 2 of the hit Netflix series, despite losing “eight or nine” teeth from stress while filming the show’s debut.
In a June 2022 interview with Variety after the roaring success of “Squid Game” Season 1, Hwang revealed that six of his teeth fell out during the initial production. However, speaking to the BBC ahead of Season 2’s premiere next month, Hwang clarified that it was actually “eight or nine.”
Due to the series’ adverse effects on his stress levels and health, Hwang said he at one point swore off making another season. But he eventually changed his mind due to the payday another go at the survival horror series could give him.
“Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly I didn’t make much. So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too,” he told the BBC, adding that he also “didn’t fully finish the story.”
Hwang has said before that he was paid upfront for “Squid Game,” and was not offered a “bonus” for the show’s success. In response, a spokesperson for Netflix told the BBC that it offers “competitive” compensation, and guarantees creators “solid compensation, regardless of the success or failure of their shows.”
Season 2 sees Seong Gi-hun, aka Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), reenter the Squid Game after winning at the conclusion of Season 1. Now armed with the knowledge of what the game is really about, he seeks to save the lives of other players while trying to convince them to opt out and end the game once and for all.
With “Squid Game’s” first season becoming Netflix’s most successful show ever at the time, Hwang told the BBC “the stress I feel now is much greater.” Though he hasn’t lost any more teeth yet, he ended the interview by saying he’ll “probably have to pull out a few more very soon.”
“Squid Game” Season 2 premieres Dec. 26 on Netflix.