Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Squid Game season 3.
Squid Gamecreator Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Park Sung-hoon break down the"heroic"death of Cho Hyun-ju in season 3. After being introduced as one of the new characters in season 2,Hyun-ju quickly stole the showand became a fan favorite thanks to her courageous and kind personality.
While Hyun-ju survives the events of season 2, she has one of the mosttragic deaths inSquid Gameseason 3. After finding a way out of the hide-and-seek arena, Hyun-ju chooses not to escape on her own, and instead goes back for Kim Hun-jee (Jo Yu-ri), her newborn baby, and Jang Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim), only to be stabbed in the back by Lee Myung-gi (Yim Si-wan).
While speaking withNetflix,Hwang refers to Hyun-ju’s death as"heroic"and that her final moments"embody the essence of humanity.“He explains that Hyun-ju’s heroism is something that he believes everyone is capable of, but that few follow through on due to the harsh realities of the real world. Check out his comments below:
She was choosing not to escape alone, but to turn back to get the others. I believe we all have that spark of conscience, compassion, and humanity. But as we navigate this harsh world, we often bury those values and convince ourselves they don’t matter. Or we sideline those values, thinking they’ll cost us too much. Still, when I reflect deeply, I believe those beautiful thoughts remain within us. If anyone were to embody them, it had to be Hyun-ju.
In an interview withVariety, Park discusses howHyun-ju’s motivations have changed in season 3to protecting the"weaker women,“which tragically leads to the character’s death. Park also breaks down the bittersweet experience of saying goodbye to playing Hyun-ju and how important the character is for LGBTQ+ representation. Read his comments below:
Director Hwang [Dong-hyuk] gave me a direction saying, “When Hyun-ju slips away from the camera, could you have one tear roll down your face?” And I thought it would be hard, but I actually did it in one take. So when I finished it, the staff all clapped and cheered for me.
Recently, I’ve played a lot of villain characters, so I was so lucky to be able to play Hyun-ju, who is such a cool character. It was very hard for me to say goodbye to her, because I thought she would last longer. I think she died earlier than she should have, so it’s a shame.
When she finds the exit, it was just an automatic response for her to take a step. But I think her motivation shifted from Seasons 2 to 3. In Season 2, her main motivation was to get the money so that she could get her gender affirmation surgery, go to Thailand and start over. But in Season 3, her big motivation became protecting the weaker women here, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee’s newborn baby as well. So when she took a step outside, I think there was a wake up call inside her head telling her to go back: “You have to protect these people.” So I think the only thought that was left in her head at the moment was to go and save them. I remember limping and being very bloody, walking back to the room, and I feel very emotional right now, actually, thinking back to that scene, because it was such a sad and heartbreaking moment.
The final scene I filmed was when I’m being photographed by the Squid Game organizers. The scene when Jun-hee gives birth was so special to Hyun-ju because the birth of a life is such a holy and sacred thing. Especially as a trans woman, I think Hyun-ju would have lots of emotions swirling inside of her watching that happen. When Myung-gi stabs me in the back and kills me, there’s a line in the script that says, “Hyun-ju’s soul leaves her eyes.” So I tried to stay true to the script.
It’s always hard to say goodbye to your characters, but it’s especially hard if it’s Hyun-ju, who is such a cool character and such a nice person. It was very hard for me to say goodbye to her, especially because I received so much love and support from fans all across the world. And I think me being a cisgender actor playing a transgender character, it also has its meaning, to some extent, because we’re all people, we deserve the same amount of love and respect. Even though I’m a cisgender actor playing a transgender character, the LGBTQ+ community saw Hyun-ju under a very positive light. They loved, respected and supported her, and I’m just so eternally grateful for what they’ve done for her.
The goal for the three women was the same: Protect the newborn baby. It was like women solidarity together. And as you said, Geum-ja took a little more time to warm up to Hyun-ju and accept and embrace her as her friend and family. She goes through that transformation, and I think that’s what’s really important. If there are people out there that still have prejudices and biases against the LGBTQ+ community, I hope they would warm up to it just like Geum-ja did.
What This Means For Squid Game
Hyun-ju Is A Hero Who Continues To Steal The Show
While some characters, including Myung-gi, become the worst versions of themselves during the games,Hyun-ju remains a good person to the very end. She is a testament to what a person can be capable of when genuinely caring about others, and she refused to let the games take away her humanity.
Given her fan-favorite status and her prominence in the story, it is genuinely shocking to see her die in season 3, episode 2, with four episodes remaining and two of the games yet to be played. Hyun-ju’s death comes sooner than Park and the fans expected, butthe actor still continues to steal the show in season 3.
The solidarity between Hyun-ju, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee teaches a powerful lesson about community, connection, and tolerance. The evolution of Hyun-ju and Geum-ja’s bond lends tremendous insight into tolerance and howindividuals can grow beyond their misguided prejudices and biases.
Our Take On Hwang Dong-hyuk And Park Sung-hoon’s Comments
Hyun-ju Perfectly Embodies Squid Game’s Themes
I had hoped that Hyun-ju would make it toSquid Gameseason 3’s ending, and her death hits me just as hard as the deaths of Jun-hee and Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). However, I amglad that Hyun-ju finds people who love and accept her, and that she remains loyal to them.
Even thoughSquid Gameis an incredibly dark show at times, the story is also built on a foundation of hope and the idea that, regardless of the circumstances,there will always be people like Hyun-ju and Gi-hun who choose to be better and have faith in others.
