[men shuddering]

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors.

[muffled shouting, bound man grunts]

[in Korean] Crew: Cut!

[crew chattering]

[intense music rises]

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: There was pressure to go deeper and create a stronger, more expansive story.

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Disqualified.

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: And there was also the pressure to create all-new games. 

[anguished grunting, intense music peaks, fades]

[in Korean] Gong Yoo: The scene where my character tormented people with Rock, Paper, Scissors, Minus One was incredibly intense and impactful.

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): You’re going to play a game now. I’ll point the gun at the loser’s head and pull the trigger.

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: Look here for a moment, then quickly turn this way.

[pensive music playing]

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Disqualified.

[bound man shudders, bound man cries out]

[gun clicks]

[gasps, bound men breathing shakily]

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Let’s reverse the odds now, shall we?

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors! Stop at the fourth round of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors. Minus one. Rock, paper, scissors.

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: The thing is, the games have to be really simple and the penalty to the loser also has to be immediate and self-explanatory.

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Minus one. Disqualified.

[sobbing, gun fires]

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: I thought it would lead to a more dramatic story.

[in Korean] Kim Ji-yong: So we’re not in the game arena yet in Episodes 1 and 2, but if you look closely at their sequences …

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): Let’s play a game.

[in Korean] Kim Ji-yong: …for scenes like the club and the motel room where the Russian Roulette game happens at the end, we adjusted the lighting to create a similar vibe.

[in Korean] Gong Yoo (as The Recruiter): We’ll take turns pulling the trigger without spinning the cylinder again.

[gun clicks]

[in Korean] Hwang Dong-hyuk: After a moment of hesitation, lean in with your head, aim the gun, and then pull the trigger.

[gun clicks]

[in Korean] Lee Jung-jae: He did a great job in portraying his character in such a strange way, there’s fear within the eeriness of the character and also comedic relief, too. 

[gun clicks]

[in Korean] Lee Jung-jae: I think every scene he was in was filled with energy. I’m very grateful to him and he helped me out a lot.

[tense music rising, music stops]

[gun clicks]

[in Korean] Lee Jung-jae (as Seong Gi-hun): You’re nothing more than their dog.

[tense music rising, music peaks, fades]

[in Korean] Crew: Cut!

[ominous music rises, tense music playing]

[in Korean] Lee Jung-jae (as Seong Gi-hun): One person!

[in Korean] Lee Byung-hun (as Player 001/Front Man): We need one person!

[in Korean] Crew: Cut!

[in Korean] Lee Jung-jae: As I mentioned earlier, the fact that the Front Man and the masked men devised the idea of killing people in a place like this to entertain the VIPs is truly horrifying.

[alert chimes]

[in Korean] Seo Moon-ho (as Player 313): It’s OK. I don’t think they noticed.

[footsteps approaching]

[in Korean] Kim Ji-yong: The distance between the camera and the characters was crucial. When the camera is close to the participants, it gives the audience a sense of being part of the games, as if they’re going through it alongside them.

[crowd shouting, tense dramatic music playing]

[in Korean] Yang Dong-geun (as Park Yong-sik/Player 007): We need one person here!

[clamoring]

[in Korean] Players: Come with us! We’re two people. Come on! We’re going to die!

[in Korean] Yang Dong-geun (as Park Yong-sik/Player 007): She’s my mom! Mom!

[music stops]

[in Korean] Roh Jae-won (as Nam-gyu/Player 124): Winner comes with us! Rock, paper, scissors!

[shouting, tense music swells]

[in Korean] Lee Jung-jae: As the game progresses, the sight of more and more eliminated players lying on the ground becomes increasingly striking.

[energetic music playing]

[in Korean] Lee Byung-hun: I think that’s the strange and iconic vibe unique only to Squid Game.

[music peaks, fades]