HELLO! Exclusive: Squid Game 3's Park Sung-hoon on choosing a 'door' in real life: "The sacred value of life surpasses everything else"

“I just let them slap me,” Park Sung-hoon says with a grin, recalling how furious restaurant owners, often maternal, well-meaning Korean aunties, reacted after his string of villainous roles. The actor known for his roles in global hits like The Glory, Queen of Tears, among others, received a lot of backlash for playing archetypical villains in shows. However, with Squid Game 3 and Hyun-ju, a character that was both a risk and challenge, Sung-hoon successful redeems himself onscreen. But dealing with the reactions hasn’t been easy, he says in an exclusive conversation with HELLO! “They would get mad at me and wanted to slap me on the back. But now, I think people are less thinking of me as the character and more as an actor,” he sighs. For the Korean star whose dark characters have often drawn real-life hate, Squid Game 3 offered something different, a chance at redemption; not just for his character, but for himself. In the final season of Netflix’s record-breaking dystopian drama, Park plays Hyun-ju, a transwoman who becomes a rare moral anchor in the middle of brutality.

While the series dials up the blood and stakes, it is Hyun-ju’s selflessness and humanity that lingers long after the games end. For Sung-hoon, stepping into the role was not just a career pivot, it was a deeply personal and professional risk. “I did have my concerns and worries, being a cisgender actor playing a transgender character,” he shares candidly, over zoom. “I thought it would be a challenge, but I knew it would help me grow as a person and as an actor.” In a season otherwise packed with brutality; including a deadly version of hide-and-seek and a skipping rope game with life-or-death consequences, Hyun-ju is a rare emotional thread. In one pivotal scene, she chooses to sacrifice her chance at escape for the safety of others. Would Sung-hoon do the same? “I would definitely make the same choice that Hyun-ju made because I love kids and I know that the sacred value of life surpasses everything else,” he says. “But one difference? After opening the exit door, I would look back once at the exit maybe.”

His decision to take on Hyun-ju came at a time when audiences had begun to associate him almost entirely with manipulative villains, characters viewers loved to hate; sometimes a little too literally. “Because I’ve been doing a lot of villains lately, I think this was a really nice air freshening thing for me,” he admits. Actors often talk about being typecast, but in conservative societies like South Korea, the burden can be heavier, especially when your characters are particularly cruel. Fellow Squid Game 3 star Yim Si-wan, who plays Myung-gi, has publicly apologised in interviews for the role’s misogynist and selfish characteristics, knowing how deeply fans internalise these portrayals.

“Now I think Korean people are less thinking of me as the character but as an actor,” he reflects. “So, they’re more welcoming of him and happy to see me, so I’m just very grateful.” In a society that holds its screen heroes and villains a little too close to heart, public backlash becomes part of the job, especially when the morality of characters is deeply layered or provocative. That shift, thanks to Squid Game; both in public perception and personal confidence, makes Hyun-ju one of his most meaningful roles. “Ranking 1st would be Hyun-ju, definitely,” he says, placing the character above his breakout roles.

Sung-hoon’s dramas— be it Queen of Tears or The Glory— were a hit in India. So, it is not surprising that the actor is excited to meet his Indian fans soon. “I will find time to go see my Indian fans whenever an opportunity comes,” he passively mentions.