Squid Game: The Challenge Producers Address Controversial Filming Conditions
"Squid Game" offers a scathing critique of capitalism where hundreds of people play children's games for a chance to win a life-changing amount of money, but losing a game results in death. As such, many were quick to point out the irony of Netflix adapting the series into a reality show (without contestants dying, of course). The irony only compounded when reports emerged early in filming "Squid Game: The Challenge" of terrible conditions for players in the games, including accusations of the whole game being rigged. Now, producers have responded to the claims.
Executive producers John Hay and Stephen Lambert have spoken with The Hollywood Reporter about the conditions of shooting "Squid Game: The Challenge." It seems they're taking the route of denying any overly harsh conditions, with Hay stating, "Welfare and safety are obviously paramount for us. And we've taken appropriate measures to look after people." The conditions in question center around the "Red Light, Green Light" challenge, which takes influence from the original show. Hay mentions how it was a complicated shoot and a cold day but nothing out of the ordinary, continuing, "Everyone was prepared for that and looked after properly. We anticipated and actually strenuously tested everything in advance and made sure we took all the proper measures."
Lambert offers a similar statement of how nothing was out of the ordinary for the "Red Light, Green Light" shoot: "This is no harder than [other reality shows] and in lots of shows you have people sometimes treated for mild complaints, which is what happened in that particular game."
Squid Game: The Challenge highlights issues with capitalism as much as Squid Game
Elsewhere in the Hollywood Reporter interview, executive producer Tim Harcourt mentions how the anti-capitalistic critique of "Squid Game" shouldn't have really factored into the reality show: "Yes, there is one element [of the original show] that people have latched on to that they think is being not served by a reality show, but I would say it's a very small part of the original 'Squid Game.'" Inadvertently or not, the team behind "Squid Game: The Challenge" may have also revealed the pitfalls of capitalism by gathering together hundreds of people and dangling millions of dollars in front of them and then allegedly subjecting them to harsh conditions to possibly attain that cash.
Another Hollywood Reporter article mentions how several cast members have threatened a lawsuit against the production. Part of the claim involves players who "suffered injuries such as hypothermia and nerve damage as a result of poor health and safety standards on set."
A quote from a contestant even states, "People were getting carried out by medics, but we couldn't say anything. If you talk, then you're out." While the interview doesn't directly address potential legal action, the executive producers' version of the story seems to be that everything was safe.
Despite this, Stephen Lambert suggests the game was always meant to be tough: "We're giving away the largest prize in TV competition history. It wasn't going to be a walk in the park to win $4.56 million." Expect more details on a possible lawsuit to come, and as for dystopian depictions of pitting disadvantaged people against one another for a chance of winning money, maybe it would be best to leave that to "Squid Game" Season 2.