<Squid Game 3> Im Si-wan, "Lee Myung-ki is a coward"

Actor Im Si-wan, who has gained attention as the main villain in the global hit series <Squid Game> Season 3, opened up about the struggles he faced during the character interpretation process.

On the 2nd, Im Si-wan met with reporters in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and revealed, "I had a lot of worries about how to portray Myung-ki until the end of filming." He explained, "When I expressed him as a good character, the director said, 'He looks too nice and artificial,' and when I acted like a bad character, he said, 'He is not a villain,'" describing the difficulties in building the character.

In the drama, Lee Myung-ki is a YouTuber who encourages coin investment and ends up in massive debt due to investment failures. While fleeing from his subscribers, he participates in the Squid Game and reunites with his pregnant girlfriend, Joon-hee (played by Jo Yu-ri).

"I was confused for a while, and then I thought, 'Maybe Myung-ki is a coward,' and everything fell into place," Im Si-wan recalled the moment he realized the essence of the character. He interpreted, "Myung-ki's (wrong actions) arose from the fear and cowardice within him," adding, "The suspicion of Joon-hee during the high-stakes Squid Game was a foolish decision caused by extreme fear, and also a desire to justify himself by thinking, 'It might not be my child.'"

Through this in-depth character interpretation, Myung-ki has been evaluated as the most realistic villain in the series. Im Si-wan shared, "I filmed this project in the greatest confusion among all the works I've done so far," but added, "Looking back, the process of finding that subtle middle ground with the director was meaningful."

After the release of <Squid Game 3>, Im Si-wan showed a calm reaction to the criticism from global fans.

He said, "My social media followers have increased a lot, but it seems that most came to criticize Myung-ki," and added, "Cursing is a form of expressing interest, so I appreciate it. If I'm going to be cursed at, wouldn't it be better to be thoroughly cursed?"

At 36 years old, this actor still has a boyish and kind impression, leading many viewers to expect that his character would show a protective side towards a baby in the latter part of the drama.

However, Im Si-wan stated, "Personally, I gave up my expectations the moment Myung-ki killed Hyun-joo," and explained, "Those who felt betrayed after watching until the very last game have good patience."

If given the opportunity, he expressed a desire to play the role of Hyun-joo (played by Park Sung-hoon), who is evaluated as the most righteous character throughout Seasons 2 and 3.

Im Si-wan attempts a new transformation as a killer belonging to a contract killing company in the Netflix film <Mantis>. This work is a spin-off of <Gil Bok-soon>, which was released in 2023.

In <Mantis>, Im Si-wan will portray the killer 'Mantis' from MK Entertainment, showcasing a strong character. This is in stark contrast to the cowardly and pathetic 'Myung-ki' character he played in the recently popular <Squid Game 3>.

Im Si-wan mentioned, "Many people are getting to know me for the first time through the character Myung-ki. I am thinking about how to change that (image) for these people," he stated.

He also shared, "I think the charm of good roles and villains is different. When I play a good role, I want to play a villain, and when I play a villain, I miss playing a good role."