Squid Game's Player 001 reveals how Netflix has changed his life: 'Being famous is tough'

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By Nika Shakhnazarova

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Actor OH Yeong-su has soared to popularity following his portrayal of Oh Il-nam, or Player 001, in Netflix smash hit Squid Game - a show that's broken all records on the streaming platform.

The hugely popular Korean series has become the most-watched show on Netflix in more than 90 countries, and fans of the show have been showering the cast with praise for delivering incredibly poignant and nuanced performances throughout its nine episodes.

The show centers around a group of 456 people who risk their lives as part of a mysterious survival show in a bid to win $38,460,271.20 (₩45.6 billion).

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Credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy

And OH Yeong-su - who is one of the main characters in the series - discussed how drastically his life has changed since Squid Game.

Appearing on an episode of MBC's How Do You Play?, he revealed that he has turned down several offers to appear in commercials - including one to star in a fried chicken commercial, Soompi reports.

Yeong-su also talked about "Squid Game syndrome" and even said so many people are trying to contact him that he's had his daughter help him.

"I feel like I'm floating on air. It makes me think, 'I need to calm down, organize my thoughts, and hold myself back right now,'" he said.

He continued: "So many people have been contacting me, and because I don't have a manager to help me, it's hard for me to handle the volume of calls and messages I’ve been receiving. So my daughter has been helping me.

"Things have changed quite a bit. Even when I go out to a cafe or somewhere like that, I now have to be aware of [how I appear to others]. It's made me think, Being famous is tough, too."

The veteran actor kickstarted his career back in 1963.

"Our society often only acknowledges first place, as if everyone else doesn't matter. As if only first place exists, and second place is meaningless. But even though second place lost to first place, second place also beat third place. So everyone is actually a winner," he said.

Watch Squid Game: Behind The Scenes of each game right here:

"That's why I think a true winner is someone who is working hard at the things they want to do and attempting to reach a certain state on the inside. I feel like that kind of person is a winner," he added.

Despite his rapidly rising fame, Yeong-su is not striving for massive success and is content with where he is in his life.

He explained: "I don't have any grand ambitions. Big or small, I've received a lot of things while living my life. Now, I want to leave behind those things that I’ve received. To put it simply, let’s say you go to a mountain and see a flower. When we’re young, we pick the flower and take it for ourselves.

"But by the time you reach my age, you leave it there exactly as it is, and you go back to see it again later on. It’s the same with life. Leaving things exactly the way they are. It isn’t easy."

Featured image credit: Album / Alamy