Squid Game Creator Was So Stressed Making Season 1 He Lost 9 Teeth — but for Season 2 the Stress ‘Is Much Greater’

It’s no secret that Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk was so stressed making the smash hit Netflix series Squid Game that he lost teeth. Previous reports indicated he lost six teeth amid the magnitude of production and the extremity of the experience of creating Season 1, but in a new interview, he says he actually lost up to nine — and he’s under even more stress making Season 2.

Squid Game Season 2, set to launch on Netflix in December, is one of the biggest shows of all time on the streaming platform. It thrust creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and actor Lee Jung-jae into superstardom, but it came at great cost.

Speaking to the BBC, Hwang Dong-hyuk said he in fact lost eight or nine teeth making Squid Game Season 1, more than was previously reported. So why return for Season 2? “Money,” he replied.

“Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly I didn’t make much,” he said. “So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too.

“And I didn’t fully finish the story.”

Hwang Dong-hyuk has spoken before about his compensation — or lack of — for Season 1 of Squid Game. Netflix paid him a “modest” amount upfront, so he wasn’t able to cash in on the show’s breakout success. Netflix isn’t alone in employing this model, with all the streaming giants getting in on the act.

Netflix told the BBC it offers “competitive” compensation, and guarantees creators “solid compensation, regardless of the success or failure of their shows.”

Clearly, Hwang Dong-hyuk will make a lot more money this time around, but it sounds like the stress is even worse. “The stress I feel now is much greater,” he said, perhaps counting his remaining teeth. “I haven’t seen my dentist yet, but I’ll probably have to pull out a few more very soon,” he told the BBC.

Hwang Dong-hyuk has confirmed that Squid Game will end with Season 3, which is due out at some point in 2025. While we wait for the new episodes, check out our review of Squid Game Season 1, which we called "a candy-coated battle royale that thrives on making its players — and audience — squirm."

Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

via Squid Game Creator Was So Stressed Making Season 1 He Lost 9 Teeth — but for Season 2 the Stress ‘Is Much Greater’
by Wesley Yin-Poole