On August 29, a video featuring actor Wi Ha-joon, known for “Squid Game 2,” was released. In this video, Wi Ha-joon showed his natural charm.
That day, Wi Ha-joon shared some anecdotes about the auditions for “Squid Game.” Although he plays an undercover cop in the K-drama, he clarified that his role had not been determined from the beginning. The director had expressed his wish not to cast actors who were already busy with other projects.
Wi Ha-joon was filming another K-drama at the time and thought he wouldn’t be involved in this project. However, since it was explained to him that it would just be a reading, he came with peace of mind. He recalls: “I had just popped a pimple and my hair was a mess, so I was wearing a hat.” He added : “When I walked in, there were a lot of cameras waiting for me. But, to be sure, I had memorized the script because I was anxious.” Looking back on this experience, he said: “I learned that you always have to be prepared. I learned that complacency is not an option.”
Released in 2021 as an original series on Netflix, “Squid Game” became a global phenomenon, breaking ratings records. Wi Ha-joon recalled: “My social media followers have grown to 10 million in a short period of time, with 100 new followers every day.” He is confirmed to appear in “Squid Game 2,” which will air in December. Given the colossal success of the first season, he admitted to feeling some pressure.
In particular, when Shin Dong-yup asked: “Are you worried about whether this season will get as much love as Season 1?”, Wi Ha-joon hinted that his role would be limited, saying: “I don’t have a major role in the series. I just came back after surviving, and that’s it.”
The actor later clarified that his participation consisted mainly of a brief reappearance. “My role doesn’t really have a significant impact”, revealed Wi Ha-joon, while expressing his excitement by adding: “The new characters played by other actors are actually more interesting.” He also mentioned: “The scale of the games has increased, so there’s a lot more to discover. The settings have become more impressive, and the characters’ stories are well-developed.” However, when asked to share more details, Wi Ha-joon joked, “If I say more, I’ll be fired”, which made everyone laugh.
During the discussion, Wi Ha-joonn also talked about how he became an actor. He said: “I loved performing when I was young. I even started a dance club in middle and high school. My dream was to be in a K-pop dance group. I used to cover TVXQ songs a lot!” He continued: “Back then, there weren’t any muscular K-pop groups like 2PM. I liked acrobatics, so I wondered why there weren’t groups that did acrobatics and ripped their clothes on stage.”
He added : “Just when I thought, ‘This is something I should do,’ 2PM debuted. They were exactly the kind of group I had dreamed of. When I was in the dance club, we were always doing rolls and showing off our abs,” then he laughed.
Wi Ha-joon shared that he started dreaming of becoming an actor. Shin Dong-yup then asked him how his parents reacted when he told them about his desire to pursue acting. Wi Ha-joon replied: “After I told them, the first thing I asked was, ‘Please send me to drama school,’ but they just ignored me,” smiling bitterly. Explaining that he ended up in a boarding school and wasn’t happy there, Wi Ha-joon commented: “I used to unwind by dancing for our dance club, but by my third year, I felt like I was sinking into depression. I thought there was nothing to learn there, so I wrote a letter to my school and left.”
He continued: “When I returned home that weekend, I told my parents that I wanted to move to Seoul. I explained that I couldn’t bear to stay until I finished high school and that I was eager to succeed quickly. That’s when they realized how seriously I took my acting career. They rushed to complete the transfer process, and I moved to Seoul shortly after.” The actor also mentioned: “Back then, not many people transferred schools. There were all kinds of rumors about me like, ‘He’s a trainee at JYP’ or ‘He moved because of a girlfriend.’”