‘Squid Game’: Player 001 Actor O Yeong-su Makes Newscaster Cry With Inspirational Speech: ‘Everyone’s a Winner’
Squid Game was a No. 1 Netflix hit in nearly 100 countries, and the story took the world by storm. Fans adored watching Seong Gi-hun’s journey from gambler to loving friend and winner of the games. And O Yeong-su made his mark as the villainous Oh Il-nam, or player 001. In the past, the 77-year-old actor talked about life with a newscaster – and he even made her cry with his beautiful outlook. Here’s what he said.
‘Squid Game’ cast member O Yeong-su played Oh Il-nam, player 001
O Yeong-su is a fan favorite in the Squid Game cast. Oh Il-nam and Seong Gi-hun partnered up early on to protect each other in the games, but sadly, they had to go against each other in marbles. Ultimately, Gi-hun won all of the games and became the sole winner, receiving the grand prize. And that’s also when he found out Il-nam never died at all. Instead, Il-nam secretly ran the games behind the scenes, making him the ultimate villain.
O was born in 1944 and is considered to be one of South Korea’s greatest stage actors, NBC News reports. He recently won a Golden Globe for his role in Squid Game, which also marks the first Golden Globe win for the country.
“I feel like I’m floating on air,” he said of his win. “It makes me think, ‘I need to calm down, organize my thoughts, and hold myself back right now. It’s hard for me to handle the volume of calls and messages I’ve been receiving.”
O Yeong-su gave an inspirational speech that made a newscaster cry
At 77 years old, O Yeong-su never expected to get so famous from joining the Squid Game cast. And he has plenty of wisdom he’s gained over the course of his lifetime.
Viu Singapore posted a video of O speaking to the newscasters about his outlook on life. “Our society fosters a culture where only first place matters,” O started. “You must come in first. Second place is worthless. Although second place was defeated by first place, they defeated third place. Everyone is a winner.”
He then explained the “real winner” is always someone who fully commits to their passions.
“I try not to get greedy in life,” he added. “Whether it’s small or big, we’ve received a lot of things. … You walk in the mountains and find a flower. When you’re young, you pick the flower and take it. When you become about my age, you just leave it there as it is and go back and appreciate it again. Life is no different. Just leave it just the way it is.”
His thoughtful words then made one of the newscasters cry.
Will the actor take part in ‘Squid Game’ Season 2?
Is there a Squid Game Season 2 in the works? Fans want to know what happens with Il-nam after the cliffhanger in the first season. And they also hope to see as many members of the original Squid Game cast return as possible.
So far, it seems promising fans will see a second season. “I think that there will be a season two, but as for when that’s gonna be, I think I can’t give you an answer now,” director Hwang Dong-hyuk told Deadline. “I will say though that we are definitely talking about it, so maybe someday, but I don’t know when.”
Will O Yeong-su take part in a new season? His character died at the end of the first season, so if he does return, it can only happen via flashbacks. The actor hasn’t yet confirmed or denied whether he has an interest in returning. But it shouldn’t surprise fans if he chooses not to come back, as he mentioned before how the fame was difficult to live with.
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