One of the most popular shows of the 21st century,Squid Game,is coming back for another season, showing thatNetflixreally can’t help themselves. Instead of making an easy copy of the first season, creatorHwang Dong-hyukdecided to try to make the never-planned-for follow-up to his dynamite show about a deadly game show something different.However, creating an authentically different story set in Korea proved far more challenging than Dong-hyuk thought.
When creating the upcoming season ofSquid Game, Dong-hyuk knew he wanted to tell a wide range of authentic stories.Yet, the social stigma surrounding trans people, especially in a culturally conservative country like South Korea, made it hard for the show creator to find a transgender actress willing to openly play the role of a trans person in the upcoming season.Dong-hyuk toldThe Wrapabout how it was nearly impossible to find a trans Korean actress to play the role.
“When we researched in Korea, there are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in the Korean society currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking.” - Hwang Dong-hyuk
Although it is heartbreaking that no Korean transgender actresses may be willing to be open about their identity, it makes sense why they wouldn’t want to. Queer identities are heavily stigmatized and discouraged in South Korean culture, so those that do identify as queer often do not do so openly for fear of being targeted with either verbal or physical attacks. Dong-hyuk might have wanted to tell his trans character’s story authentically,but Korean culture forced him to cast a cisgender male, actor Park Sung-hoonto play the role so that the trans character wouldn’t have to be cut from the show.
12 Trans Women in the Film Industry You Should Know About
From Golden Globe-winner Michael Jaé Rodriguez to icon Laverne Cox, here are 12 trans women in the film industry you should know about.
Should Trans Stories Be Portrayed By Cis Actors?
The history oftransgender representation on televisionis scarce and often quite reductive, with trans characters, actors, and actresses frequently forced to play stereotypes or be the butt of a joke. Most trans roles were portrayed by cisgender actors, like Jared Leto inDallas Buyers Club—for which he won an Oscar. As more actors and actresses feel safe enough to openly identify as transgender, representation of the community is increasing, which will result in more stories and representation of actual trans people.
In an ideal entertainment industry, queer people and stories would be treated like cisgender/straight stories are—plentiful and able to exist without being seen as a monolith. However, in some countries, like South Korea, there is still a long way to go. Hopefully, that changes over time, and people become more tolerant of queerness in general.
But with Pixar removing all mention of thetrans identity of a characterin their upcoming animated show—for which they hired a trans actress to voice—due to outside complaints and pressure, audiences are reminded that, in some ways, having cisgender actors play trans roles can be better than not having any trans characters or stories in media at all. It’s unfortunate thatSquid Game 2’s only route was this, but hopefully the portrayal will pave the way for further acceptance of the community in South Korea and Dong-hyuk will be able to cast an openly trans actor or actress in season three.
Squid Game
In Squid Game, a mysterious invitation to join a competition is sent to people at risk who are in dire need of money. Four hundred fifty-six participants from all walks of life are locked into a secret location where they play games to win 45.6 billion won. Games are selected from traditional Korean children’s games, such as Red Light and Green Light, but the consequence of losing is death. To survive, competitors must choose their alliances carefully - but the further they go in the competition, the more likely betrayal will rear its ugly head.
