Lee Byung-hun on Front Man’s Secret Hopes

(This story contains spoilers for season two, episode three of Squid game.)

One of the enduring mysteries of the first season of Squid game was what fueled The Front Man, the enigmatic masked overseer of the hit Netflix series’ candy-colored death game. Korean film and television fans got a big surprise at the end of the first season when it was announced that Lee Byung-hun, one of the Korean entertainment industry’s most enduring stars, is playing the elusive frontman in Hwang Dong-hyuk’s thriller. However, the frontman’s full origin story and motivations remained a subject of speculation.

Sit down with The Hollywood Reporter Recently in Seoul, Lee promised that the second season would provide “the overall narrative of the character” and deeply explore his twisted psyche and motivations.

“In the first season, I played the role of frontman from a more operational perspective, where he was simply the one running the games,” says Lee. The actor, however, adds that he took a shower Squid game Creator/writer/director Hwang asks questions during filming to understand his character as best as possible. “We didn’t know back then that there would be a second season. Still, as an actor you have to really know your character in order to play him, even if he’s not that exposed. Thanks to the process we went through in the first season, I think we were both really ready to develop his story – his past and why he became the frontman – for the second season.”

A big reveal from Front Man once again makes for a big moment in the new season, streaming now. This time, the reveal comes at the end of the third episode, when it’s explained that Lee’s character made the risky decision to enter the game as a player – Player 001, no less – to compete alongside the season’s ensemble. He soon teams up with the series’ hero, Gi-hun (played by Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae), and a strange intimacy develops between the two characters. Unlike Gi-hun, the audience is privy to the secret that Player 001 is actually a mortal enemy. But why is he playing with Gi-hun – and why did he decide to get into the game first hand?

“Gi-hun doesn’t know that Player 001 is the frontman, so he thinks he’s someone he can trust and rely on,” says Lee Jung-Jae THR about his character’s surprising bond with his enemy as he returns to the game for a season of revenge. “He has high hopes that together they can stop the game and put an end to the whole thing.”

He adds: “There’s a strange tension to some of the conversations they have on screen together – and that tension only increases in later moments. Viewers will have a lot of fun watching their relationship develop.”

Lee Byung-hun says the frontman’s motivations will be revealed through “glimpses of his past” and “previous life events” as the season continues past episode three.

“If you think about how his life has unfolded, his worldview must be deeply rooted in a feeling of extreme disappointment in humanity and the world as a whole – that he really feels that there is absolutely no hope for humanity “There is,” Lee explains, adding, “It’s this very strong belief that drives his decisions – at least that’s how I understood the character.”

The actor believes The Front Man was brought back into the game because he wanted to “educate Gi-hun” – essentially, to convince him that humanity is beyond redemption.

“I almost feel like subconsciously he still sees a part of himself in Gi-hun,” Lee says. “And in that way, I think a little part of him is almost rooting for Gi-hun. If you watch his actions during season two, you’ll probably constantly wonder what the frontman is actually thinking.”

The uncanny intimacy between the frontman and Gi-hun may seem like one of the more subtle acting touches of season two, but Lee says the relationship with Lee Jung-jae came together effortlessly. The two actors began their film careers in the mid-1990s and appeared alongside each other in the 1998 television drama White Nights 3.98.

“We have been colleagues for a very long time,” says Lee Byung-hun. “We filmed this one project together, but beyond that we’ve been meeting each other for years on social media and so on. So this part – creating the chemistry together – wasn’t difficult at all.”

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Squid game The second season is now streaming on Netflix. Read a refresher on the first season and THRis the current detailed cover story on the return of the successful series.