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Squid Game cost more than millions and blood—Creator Hwang Dong Hyuk lost 10 teeth while making 3 seasons
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong Hyuk reveals he lost more teeth due to stress while filming Seasons 2 and 3. He sheds light on the immense pressure behind Netflix’s hit series. Read more!
Squid Game Season 3 is inching closer to its much-anticipated release on June 27, 2025. Fans are bracing themselves for another round of high-stakes challenges and shocking twists. But while the show is known for putting its characters through brutal survival games, it turns out the creator faced a struggle of his own. The real-life toll it has taken on Hwang Dong Hyuk is just as intense (if not more).
Creator reveals dental health issues due to filming stress
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong Hyuk opened up about the health toll he endured. He discussed the physical and emotional strain he experienced during the production of Squid Game.
He revealed that stress from filming latest chapters caused him to lose two more teeth, on top of the multiple teeth he lost while working on the first season. Fans may recall that following the global success of Squid Game Season 1 in 2021, Hwang had confessed to losing several teeth due to the immense pressure and workload. However, the toll only worsened.
“I thought it was going to be okay, but this time I had to pull out two more teeth as well,” he shared. “I had to pull out about eight teeth in Season 1, and now I have two more out, and I haven’t put them back in yet. So I’m waiting for them.”
Filming seasons 2 and 3 back-to-back brought new challenges
Despite having the Squid Game universe fully fleshed out in his mind, Hwang admitted that working on two seasons simultaneously was exhausting. The team had to shoot and write Season 2 and Season 3 back-to-back, treating them as one massive project. Filming spanned nearly a year, with little room for rest or recovery.
“It was as if we were making one season, and we tried as best as we could to bring in Season 3 as fast as possible,” he explained. “So the total amount was much larger, and we had to shoot for around one year, so it was very physically demanding.”
Stress and dental health: Is there a link?
Hwang's dental troubles are not unheard of. Experts agree that chronic stress can lead to serious dental problems. It includes teeth grinding (bruxism), jaw clenching, gum disease, and enamel erosion. All of which can contribute to tooth loss over time.
Season 3 promises higher stakes
The new season is expected to continue the story from where Season 2 left off, following Seong Gi Hun (Lee Jung Jae) and the mysterious Front Man (Lee Byung Hun). As the games escalate and moral boundaries are tested, Hwang promises an even darker, more intense chapter.
Whether or not Squid Game Season 3 becomes another global sensation, one thing is clear: behind the thrilling screen is a creator who has given his all (literally and figuratively) to bring the story to life.
