LOS ANGELES — For a very long time, no one wanted to make "Squid Game." No one, that is, but creator-writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk. Then one of Korea's biggest stars, suave box office champion Lee Jung-jae, signed on to play the show's grubby, compromised hero, and the deeply symbolic, meticulously designed, bare-knuckle commentary on the chasm between Haves and Have-nots took off, becoming Netflix's most popular series to date.
Now it has 14 Emmy nominations, including for Hwang's writing and directing, Lee's acting and for drama series. It's the first foreign-language series to receive nods in any of those categories, as well as in many others.
"The Oscars are more global; the Emmys are very American. I'm very thankful for them opening the doors to non-English content for the first time," says Hwang by Zoom.
