Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk reveals creating the Netflix series was “very difficult”

It has been months since the hit Korean series Squid Game first debuted on Netflix, but it is still a topic of debate as fans continue to applaud its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, for making such a unique yet relatable masterpiece.

But nothing significant has rarely come into existence without a particularly harrowing journey of hard work and willpower - something that stands true for this series.

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Dong-hyuk reveals how “hard” creating the 9 episodes of Squid Game was

For those who don’t know, Dong-hyuk didn’t just direct the award-winning series but also wrote its brilliant script and produced it. That’s too many responsibilities for a single individual - yet, he performed all of them flawlessly.

In a recent chat with The Playlist, the director admitted he initially thought handling several departments while making Squid Game would be easy. But as he immersed himself in the process, he swiftly realized that it would be difficult.

“I feel like I just literally did not have a sense of how difficult this was going to be. It was honestly very painful writing every episode, I came across many, many dead ends and writer’s blocks along the way, where I had to be literally pulling out my hair. And throughout the pre-production process, we actually shot the whole thing for about eight months, so it was quite a long journey."

He further added:

“And I mean, as for how did I maintain my calm and how did I manage to do it, I think that while it was a very lonely and difficult endeavor to carry on the entire burden on my own, I thought to myself if this were to do good, and if this were to succeed, all the glory would also be solely mine as well.”

But he was also aware of the downside of this positive mindset — that if Squid Game didn’t do well, he would be the one who would have to take the brunt of the responsibility. So, to ease his tired brain, which was getting frazzled at the prospect of creating nine episodes, he opted to approach the series as one long film.

“Just like Gi-hun, I’m a gambler. I mean, I like to go all in,” he added.

Dong-hyuk will presumably repeat the entire process once again when Squid Game returns for its much-awaited Season 2.