[SBS Star] Gong Yoo Apologizes to Lee Jung Jae for Slapping Him on the First Day of 'Squid Game' Filming

Actor Gong Yoo recalled begging "Squid Game" director to reduce the number of slaps on actor Lee Jung Jae. 

On November 25, Gong Yoo appeared on "Filmo Talk," a YouTube show where actors discuss their careers, from their early projects to their most recent ones.

One of the recent projects Gong Yoo discussed was "Squid Game," the globally successful series starring Lee Jung Jae, where Gong Yoo played the "ddakji guy" at the subway station.
Regarding "Squid Game," Gong Yoo revealed, "Director Hwang Dong-hyuk and I are really close. Before 'Squid Game,' I told him that I would be part of any future project of his if he wants me to be in it. So, when he suggested 'Squid Game,' I said I would do it. At first though, I asked to be the character who gets shot in the head first during the 'Red Light, Green Light' game," and added, "But the director didn't like that idea. He was like, 'I can't make you die like that!' He said he wanted me to act with Jung Jae and be in the same frame as him, and said he will come up with something soon and let me know." 

He continued, "I was originally supposed to be a cameo with just one scene, but a few days after I was cast, the director called me, excited, and told me that he had finally come up with an idea for my character in the series. He told me about 'the ddakji guy.'"

"What he said about 'the ddakji guy' was that he is a character who has a strong impact on the flow of the series. While he appears to be a gentleman on the outside, there's something beneath the surface that's different from what you see. As it turned out, I ended up having more scenes than I expected. But I was really intrigued by the character. I loved him and wanted to play him well," he explained. 
Gong Yoo then recalled his first encounter with Lee Jung Jae, saying, "I had never acted with Lee Jung Jae before. This was our first time working together. The scene we shot right after meeting was the one where I had to slap him. It was so uncomfortable. Honestly, I would have preferred to be the one getting slapped. I even begged the director to reduce the number of slaps." 

Resuming, he said, "But Lee Jung Jae was like, 'It's okay. Slap me hard. Do it properly. If you hesitate, we're going to end up filming more.' Even after hearing that, I still felt uneasy. In fact, I hesitated and ended up not slapping him hard enough, so we had to film it again. In the end, I ended up slapping him more. Let me apologize to him again. I'm sorry, Lee Jung Jae!" then laughed. 
 
(Credit= '비사이더스 B-siders' 'Netflix Korea 넷플릭스 코리아' YouTube) 

(SBS Star)