There are rules in the square that must be absolutely followed. The moment those rules are broken, blood and desire intertwine in the square. Eleven years ago, Nam Gi-jun left the square after severing his Achilles' heel, but he returns when the rules are broken by his brother's death. With his return, the square shakes violently once again. This work, which expands the overwhelming immersion and harsh worldview of the original webtoon, vividly captures the intense emotional lines of hardboiled noir created by characters living with their own desires and guilt, pushing and pulling each other. Thus, <Square> rewrites the story of people who desire and strive to survive under the rule that "anyone who touches another must pay a price." I met with Director Choi Sung-eun of the Netflix series <Square> to hear about the work.
I’m curious about the process of creating the series <Square>. There is an original webtoon, right? Can you tell us about how you came to take on a project that already had some outline?
Yes, initially, a production company that was producing a work based on the Naver webtoon Studio N approached me. The story of the original work was already there, and it was already decided to be planned as a series from the moment the proposal came. We worked by discussing with the writer and production company to expand the story based on the original.
<Square> is also a work where So Ji-sub returns to the noir action genre after 13 years. I’m curious about the casting process for So Ji-sub.
Actually, So Ji-sub was not the first choice... he was the zero choice. (laughs) I really wanted to work with him. Many original fans also picked him as their first choice. Fortunately, he agreed readily, so it went smoothly.
What made you think that So Ji-sub would be suitable for the role of Nam Gi-jun?
I thought more about the atmosphere he possesses rather than the synchronization with the drawing style. His dryness fits the image of a brother who wants to talk to his younger sibling but doesn’t. I think the real So Ji-sub is also very dry like Nam Gi-jun, and rather than saying ten words, he seems like someone who would just give a pat on the shoulder to show support. After experiencing it, I found that some aspects of the real So Ji-sub were very similar to Nam Gi-jun, which was very satisfying.
As a viewer, it might be difficult to understand Nam Gi-jun's actions. If it’s simply for family revenge, it’s a very extreme situation. However, I think it might be hard for the audience to follow due to the lack of character backstory or explanation.
I thought that just the setup of seeking revenge because they are family wouldn’t be convincing for the viewers. I think it’s more about the guilt and atonement they have for each other that might have led to this act of revenge.
Although the role of Nam Gi-seok is not large, it is very important. Is there a reason you cast Lee Joon-hyuk for the role of Gi-seok?
I didn’t suggest Lee Joon-hyuk based on the image he showed in previous works. I just thought that I didn’t want Gi-seok to look like a typical gangster. Of course, he is the second-in-command of the organization. The visuals we commonly imagine for a second-in-command are similar, right? I wanted him to have a smart image, and I hoped that in the scenes where he is alone, he would show a tired look from life.
Also, after seeing him in variety shows, I became very curious about him. Because of those points, I met him to talk. He turned out to be a very serious person. For similar reasons as So Ji-sub, Lee Joon-hyuk also has a very serious yet dry charm, so I thought that when these two sit together, they would have a similar vibe even if they don’t talk much.
There are mixed opinions among viewers regarding Gong Myung's villain performance. What do you think about it?
I think the reason for the dislike is that it differs from the typical image of a villain we have seen. Usually, if someone is a second-generation chaebol or a spoiled son, they might raise one eyebrow or speak like a villain, right? I think Gong Myung's Gu Jun-mo doesn’t have that; he probably doesn’t think that what he is doing is bad. He just does it because he wants to, without any bad intentions. I think the faces he showed in his previous works actually helped express this pure evil.
The scene where Gu Jun-mo and Gi-seok face each other was very tense. It’s hard to predict what kind of actions Gu Jun-mo will take. I’m curious about how you filmed that scene. That scene leads to Gi-seok's death and Gi-jun's revenge.
From Gi-seok's perspective, the moment he slaps Jun-mo, he probably realizes that he won’t be able to live the life he dreamed of after leaving this organization. However, because of his brother and the world of the square, he left after severing his Achilles' heel, and seeing that he is being insulted and mocked, he couldn’t hit the brakes.
When filming that scene, the first slap was actually delivered by Joon-hyuk. I thought it would be better than doing it awkwardly multiple times. In today’s age, one might ask why go that far, but to let the emotions of the characters burst out, I thought it would be better to do it honestly at least once. The only actor who actually got hit twice was Gong Myung. He actually got hit once by his father.
Were there not many NGs?
Yes, they matched well. (laughs)
Nam Gi-jun has a handicap of having one Achilles' heel severed. Therefore, the action that minimizes movement stands out. I’m curious about how Gi-jun's handicap influenced the action design.
It’s a significant handicap. Having a leg injury means starting with a fundamental handicap in action design. First of all, the speed of advancing is slow, and he can’t use many actions like kicking. So, we aimed to have the goal of "moving slowly forward but not retreating, even if just a little." Compared to typical action, it will probably look a bit slower in pace. It might not be familiar to viewers who are used to fast-paced content these days. Therefore, we changed angles a lot, and while many modern actions increase speed, we minimized such speed changes. We aimed to make the strength felt in each cut by closely focusing on existing movements and expressions.
What was the most challenging action scene to shoot?
The scene in episode 4 where Gi-jun goes to deal with Gu Jun-mo was the hardest. Because the space was narrow. The camera and several people had to fit in around Gi-jun. We called that space "ant tunnel" on set. It was a bit like an ant tunnel, expanding and contracting. I wanted the ant tunnel action to be more experiential compared to other action scenes. I hoped the viewers would feel like they were in the same space as Gi-jun among the people. I didn’t think just shooting it from a first-person perspective would create that feeling; I wanted to make them experience the suffocating feeling of being surrounded.
<Square> is a work that stands out for its weighty action scenes, but we can also see the narratives of characters like Choi Byung-ho (Lim Hyung-guk), Shim Sung-won (Lee Bum-soo), and Kim Chun-seok (Ahn Se-ho) who ultimately uphold loyalty. What story did you want to tell through these characters?
While they uphold loyalty among themselves, I hoped that it would empower Gi-jun's motivation. So, it’s not just that he keeps moving forward because his brother died; when Chun-seok and Byung-ho die, Gi-jun's anger to kill Jun-mo surges. I thought their deaths would serve as a trigger to explode Gi-jun's emotions, which is why I set up that device.
After filming <Square>, Choo Young-woo became a rising star. However, at the time of filming <Square>, he was still an inexperienced actor. Did you give him any advice during the filming period?
I’m not in a position to give advice since I also lack experience. Choo Young-woo was just a complete actor. He was a very flexible actor. Geum-soon is a character with great ambition and desire. Emotionally, I think Lee Joo-woon (Heo Joon-ho) and Lee Geum-soon are the two characters in the story with the greatest emotional turmoil. In that sense, I think he did very well without appearing consistently bad. The most I told the actors was not "Please act like this," but rather, "What is this character feeling at this moment?" I think we asked each other that question a lot.
What specifically made you describe Choo Young-woo as a complete actor?
Choo Young-woo's first scene was at Gi-seok's funeral. When I saw him shoot that scene, I thought, 'This actor can definitely deliver what I envision until the end.' The original wording of the line he said to Seong-cheol (Jo Han-cheol) at the funeral was, "Where is Nam Jeon-moo's funeral?" But depending on how he asked that, it could show whether the character is pure or has tremendous ambition. When I saw the line he delivered, I felt I couldn’t quite grasp the character’s inner self. We also discussed the wording of the line and changed it to, "Where is it? Nam Jeon-moo's funeral."
I think those subtle details helped reveal his inner desire to want to get inside the organization, which continuously excludes him. And even when working with senior actors who are much older, he was able to express his interpretation through his acting, which was a great help.
<Square> features several actors. Was there an actor whose image differed significantly from what you originally had in mind when you met them?
They were all a bit different, but I think Lee Joon-hyuk was quite different. He was very down-to-earth and delicate, if I may say so. He has a masculine and strong face, but he is very delicate. And Heo Joon-ho might seem scary, but he speaks very cutely. He is very cute. Ahn Gil-kang is also cute. So, I think they were quite different from the preconceived notions or images I had of them.
There have been many reactions among viewers of <Square> saying it feels like the Korean <John Wick> or reminds them of <The Outlaws>’s Ma Seok-do. What do you think about such expressions?
First of all, it’s an honor to be compared, but I didn’t work with the intention of making that happen. <John Wick> is a work I really like. The structure of going to catch Gu Jun-mo in the latter half is similar to <John Wick>, but other than that, I don’t think it’s similar.
Speaking of <John Wick>, fans of the series now count the kills. Do you happen to know Nam Gi-jun's kill count?
I guess I need to study that? He kills too many. (laughs) But since it’s not headshots, it’s a bit different from kill counts. I think we should count the takedowns. If we were to count the kills, I think I could quickly count them now. There’s Shimane (Lee Jae-yoon), Cha Young-do (Cha Seung-won), Lee Geum-soon, two foreign killers, and when he chopped the bodybuilder's neck with an axe in the ant tunnel, Gu Jun-mo too. It’s not even ten people. The kill count is seven. The rest are either incapacitated or fallen.
