There are spoilers ahead for Squid Game season 3.Squid Gamestar addresses his character facing vitriol following the shocking season 3 twist. Having first premiered in 2021, the show excelled by featuring a complicated series of children’s games that ended in the death of competitors. As season 1 winner Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returned to the games in seasons 2 and 3,an all-newSquid Gamecastjoined the series.
K-pop star Yim Si-Wan, who played Player 333 (Myung-gi), was one of those new cast members. He portrayed a crypto-trader with insatiable greed, who was forced to accept that his pregnant ex-girlfriend had also joined the games. Tragically, in theSquid Gameseason 3 ending,Myung-gi attempted to kill his own child to win 45.6 billion won.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Yim opened up about the widespread outcry that came after Myung-gi’s decision. Viewers online have been bashing Myung-gi, and he admits that even his friends have been reaching out about his character’s “horrible” decision. Check out his quote below:
Well, I’ve seen the comments online. I also got loads of texts and messages from friends right after season three was released. A lot of them said they really enjoyed the show and found the ending shocking. But even some of my friends sent me hate messages — like, “You’re so bad! Horrible! How could you do that?” (Laughs.)
On the other hand, Yim elected to"love the hate" as “a compliment"to his skills. He acknowledges that audiences have the right to dislike Player 333 before addressing his appreciation for even starring in the Netflix hit series.
I think I need to love the hate. So I’m going to take it all as a compliment. It’s okay — you can hate Myung-gi as much as you like.
Getting involved inSquid Gamewas a huge stroke of luck in my life. But at the same time, I think it’s best if I don’t read too much into it and just leave it as a really memorable experience. Instead of letting this huge show reshape my whole life, it’ll be best if I can just maintain the attitude of being a diligent, hardworking actor. I hope I’m essentially the same guy — before and afterSquid Game.
What This Means For Yim Si-wan & Player 333
Player 333 Has Become A Divisive Character
Myung-gi’s actions are certainly unforgivable, and they serve as the biggest plot twist of the season. Even the Front Man was willing to save the baby when the island was crumbling around him, but Myung-gi’s greed meant that he refused to do even that.He would have killed his baby with his bare handsif he thought it would help him win.
WhileGi-hun was always willing to killto save others and himself, Myung-gi’s willingness to kill an infant was a sign that he was incapable of redemption. Any character with such a brutal instinct would havedrawn hatred from audiences, which Yim likely anticipated. It’s an unfortunate circumstance leading up to the show’s final moments, and audiences remain critical of Player 333.
Yim Si-wan Is Approaching This Perfectly
Image via Netflix
The unfortunate and inevitable truth with any major production is thataudiences will lash out at villainous characters. This is partly intentional, as villains exist to create that level of emotional response from viewers. Unfortunately, however, there will always be viewers who take that anger too far and focus it on the actors.
Yim is already addressing their vitriol appropriately, even if no actor should ever have to face hatred solely because they play a role. Unfortunately, performers need to simply look away from people bashing them over actions that their characters undertake, given that they are not the monsters that their characters are.
This is an issue that is somewhat ubiquitous in media, asGame of Thrones' Jack Gleeson (Joffrey) faced pervasive attacks andBreaking Bad’s Anna Gunn (Skyler White) was sent death threats. Unfortunately,actors in villainous rolesneed to accept that they could very well become controversial simply for playing a role on TV, andSquid Gamewas no exception.
