(Following Interview 1) Actor Noh Jae-won of 'Squid Game' season 3 shared his thoughts on working with actor Choi Seung-hyun, who was active as a member of Big Bang. At least for 'Nam-kyu,' 'Thanos' was a leader.

Noh Jae-won conducted an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 9th. He met with domestic reporters at this event and spoke about his role as Nam-kyu in the recently popular Netflix original series 'Squid Game' season 3, as well as his recent activities.

The 'Squid Game' series has been the most popular series on Netflix since its debut in 2021. The series, which depicts the story of people risking their lives to become the last winner in a mysterious survival game with a prize of 45.6 billion won, has topped global TV shows since season 1, enjoying global phenomenon-level popularity not only in Korea but also across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Thanks to this, the total view count reached 600 million views by the time season 2 was released last year. In this season 3, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who lost his best friend in a game he rejoined with his own purpose after winning season 1, and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who concealed his identity to participate in the game, dealt with the final fate of the participants who survived in that brutal game.

Noh Jae-won delivered a remarkable performance as Nam-kyu, a participant appearing in season 2 and season 3. Given Nam-kyu's characteristic as one of Thanos' followers (Choi Seung-hyun), Noh Jae-won mingled with Thanos and Min-soo (Lee Da-wit), along with the so-called 'Thanos Fam' in season 2. In season 3, after Thanos died, he showed strategic play while teaming up with Myung-ki (Yim Siwan) and ultimately faced a tragic end.

In the process, Noh Jae-won's outstanding performance garnered acclaim both domestically and internationally. As Choi Seung-hyun was a former member of Big Bang, there was intense interest surrounding whether he would appear, and attention toward Noh Jae-won, who stood next to him, also increased. After Thanos' death, Nam-kyu even became a significant villain by mimicking Thanos. So, what was the actual relationship between the two like?

Noh Jae-won said, "Seung-hyun hyung asked, 'Why do you criticize me so much? What did I do wrong to Nam-kyu?' He was purely thinking about Nam-kyu," causing laughter. He added, "Thanos seemed to hate Nam-kyu, who couldn't even remember his name and only liked Min-soo (Lee Da-wit) and dismissed what I said."

What was the atmosphere like within 'Team Thanos'? Noh Jae-won stated, "Seung-hyun hyung really took care of us with leadership. I think there was pressure and a burden of acting in front of 456 people during the early filming. However, while filming, I was really inspired by seeing him do his best as if he was risking his life. Although it was usually cheerful, I sometimes thought 'I am Nam-kyu' while looking at Thanos. And I relied on David and Won-ji-an; we shared our thoughts often during tough times since we were all about the same age."

Moreover, Noh Jae-won expressed deep gratitude toward Choi Seung-hyun, saying, "I am very thankful for how much he cherished me. The character of Thanos and Seung-hyun hyung made it possible for me to play Nam-kyu. He looked at me as Nam-kyu, always calling me 'Nam-soo, Nam-soo!' whenever we met, and I was really grateful for that. He helped me a lot to be able to act."

He chuckled, saying, "I guess Director Hwang Dong-hyuk also wrote the lines as 'Nam-kyu, Nam-soo.' He also referred to me as 'Min-kyu Nam-soo' on set," and concerning public criticism toward Thanos, he expressed regret, stating, "I really loved that role. Hyung did," while cautiously adding, "I can't really say anything. It's up to the viewers, and there are many who viewed it positively."

As a big fan of Big Bang himself, he mentioned, "That didn’t matter when acting. In fact, it helped. Nam-kyu initially followed Thanos, saying, 'Oh, Thanos is a famous rapper,' so that connection point helped. I tried my best not to see it in the context of Big Bang. I couldn't openly confess my fan feelings."

(Continues in Interview 3.)

[Photo] Provided by Netflix.

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