A key Squid Game actor clarifies the Front Man’s intentions in Squid Game season 2. Given the high death toll in the premiere season, Squid Game season 2 features a largely new cast. Returning for season 2, however, are Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-Hun, Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho, and Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man / In-Ho. The Front Man’s role looks quite different in Squid Game season 2, however, as he chooses to masquerade as a player himself, becoming the new player 001.

Speaking with Netflix K-Content, Lee provides details about In-Ho’s involvement in the games. The actor first discusses the Six-Legged Race game, saying that In-Ho “finds himself having a genuinely good time,” making his reactions legitimate as he feels a part of the team. In terms of why the character enters the games themselves, Lee guesses that the Front Man “does want to destroy Gi-hun’s belief,” but at the same time uses Gi-hun to reflect upon himself. Check out the full quote from Lee below:

The character In-Ho coming in and wanting to destroy everything is what you could say is the big picture. When the game is on the line, and In-Ho is actually a real part fo the team, he finds himself having a genuinely good time, and that is how the director and I decided this should be acted. So for me as an actor, I think it was both challenging and enjoyable.

The Front Man believes that Gi-hun is wrong in his way of thinking, but perhaps, he reflects on himself through Gi-hun. He does want to destroy Gi-hun’s belief. I felt that a small part of him, unknowingly, might be hoping for Gi-hun’s thoughts to be right. And rooting for him in some way.

What This Means For In-Ho’s Six-Legged Race Performance

In-Ho Is More Genuine Than He May Appear

The Six-Legged Race is the first opportunity for audiences to see In-Ho actively participating in the games in Squid Game season 2. In this, the character has to make a distinct choice. He cannot actually throw the game, as In-Ho cannot get shot and killed as he is one of the people behind the games themselves. However, he struggles with his spinning top portion of the games, but the show never explains whether these challenges are genuine or a piece of fabricated drama to keep the games interesting.

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Lee and the director settled on In-Ho’s reaction being fully genuine in these games. While this could be referring to the outburst that In-Ho experiences upon struggling with his game, the fact that In-Ho felt like a part of the team also likely means that he participated in a genuine way. This interpretation in some ways makes the scene even more darkly comedic, because it means that In-Ho himself is not great at the children’s games, even though he is a Squid Game mastermind.

Our Take On This Version Of The Front Man Entering The Games

In-Ho Is Thoroughly Sinister

It is interesting to hear Lee’s explanation of these events, as the season keeps us at a distance from In-Ho’s motivations throughout the games. That is, once In-Ho is thrown into the action, he is in with our main characters up until the final episode. The fact that the Squid Game team intended for In-Ho to be having fun with the games shines an even more sinister light on the character, as his mindset is warped enough for him to be overtaken by the games.