Lee Byung-hun on Front Man’s Secret Hopes

(This story contains spoilers through season two, episode three of Play octopus.)

One of the enduring mysteries of the first season of Play octopus was what drives The Front Man, the enigmatic, masked overseer of the hit Netflix show’s candy-colored death game. Korean film and television fans were treated to a big surprise at the end of the first season when Lee Byung-hun, one of Korean entertainment’s most enduring stars, was revealed to be playing the elusive frontman of Hwang Dong- hyuk’s thriller. But the Frontman’s full origin story and motivations remained a matter of speculation.

Sitting with The Hollywood Reporter recently in Seoul, Lee promised that season two would deliver “the overarching narrative of the character,” exploring his twisted psyche and motivations in depth.

“In season one, I played the role of The Front Man from a more operational perspective where he was simply the one running the games,” says Lee. However, the actor adds that he prayed Play octopus creator/writer/director Hwang with questions during filming to understand his character as much as possible. “We didn’t know at the time that there would be a second season. But still, as an actor, you have to really know your character to play him, even though he’s not that exposed. Thanks to the process we went through in season 1, I think however, that we were both really ready to develop his story — his past and why he became The Front Man — for season two.”

A big Front Man reveal makes for another big moment in the new season now streaming. This time, the reveal comes at the end of episode three, when it’s explained that Lee’s character has made the risky decision to enter the game as a player — Player 001, no less — to compete alongside the season’s ensemble. He soon allies himself with the show’s hero, Gi-hun (played by Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae), and a strange intimacy develops between the two characters. Unlike Gi-hun, the audience is in on the secret that Player 001 is actually a mortal enemy. But why is he playing with Gi-hun – and why has he chosen to jump into the game first hand?

“Gi-hun doesn’t know that Player 001 is the front man, so he thinks he’s someone he can trust and rely on,” Lee Jung-Jae tells THR about his character’s surprising bond with his nemesis as he steps back into the game for a season of revenge. “He has high hopes that together they can stop the game and put an end to it all.”

He adds: “There’s a strange tension in some of the conversations they have together on screen – and it’s really intensified in later moments. It’s going to be a lot of fun for viewers to see their relationship develop.”

Lee Byung-hun says The Front Man’s motivations will be revealed through “flashes of his past” and “past life events” as the season continues after episode three.

“If you think about the way his life has unfolded, his worldview must be deeply rooted in a sense of being extremely disappointed in humanity and the world in general – that he really feels there is absolutely no hope in humanity,” explains Lee, adding, “It’s this very firm belief that drives his choices—at least that’s how I understood the character.”

The actor believes that The Front Man was drawn back into the game by “wanting to enlighten Gi-hun” – essentially to convince him that humanity is beyond redemption.

“I almost feel like he subconsciously still sees a part of himself in Gi-hun,” says Lee. “And in that way, I think a small part of him almost roots for Gi-hun. As you observe his actions throughout Season 2, I think you’ll constantly wonder what The Front Man is really thinking.”

Front Man and Gi-hun’s creepy intimacy may seem like one of season two’s more subtle acting notes, but Lee says the relationship with Lee Jung-jae came effortlessly. The two actors both began their screen careers in the mid-1990s and appeared together in the 1998 TV drama White nights 3.98.

“We have been colleagues for a very long time,” says Lee Byung-hun. “We shot the one project together, but outside of that we’ve been meeting in social contexts and things like that for years. So that part – creating chemistry together – wasn’t difficult at all.”

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Play octopus season two is now streaming on Netflix. Read a refresher on season one and THR‘s latest in-depth cover story on the hit show’s return.