O Yeong-su aka “Player 001”
How the hit series “Squid Game” changed his life
O Yeong-su plays the demented “Player 001” in “Squid Game”.
© Noh Juhan | Netflix
Since “Squid Game”, millions of people around the world have known “Player 001” alias O Yeong-su. How did late fame change his life?
The international breakthrough in the acting business has been a long time coming for some of today’s world stars. However, patience up to the age of 77 was seldom required. Exactly this late fame is currently being bestowed on the South Korean actor O Yeong-su (77). As a lovable old man who fights for survival with over 400 other candidates in the cruel “Squid Game”, he has now also won numerous hearts outside of South Korea. Since then, the Netflix success has not only had positive consequences, as he now told on a South Korean TV show.
One problem is that he doesn’t have a manager, but his phone is currently ringing all the time. “It’s hard for me to cope with the flood of calls and messages. My daughter is helping me,” said O Yeong-su. He is also doing his best not to lose touch: “At the moment it feels like I’m floating in the air. That makes me think. I have to calm down, collect my thoughts and hold myself back.” This obviously also includes turning down various lucrative advertising deals, as reported by “Soomoi”.
His touching philosophy of life
He can no longer go to a restaurant or café unrecognized and therefore has to think more about his appearance. His charming insight: “Being famous can also be tough.” When asked about his philosophy of life, he even moved the presenter and singer Mijoo to tears: “Our society only honors first places, as if everything else meant nothing […] But every second place beat third place, and so on. In fact, anyone who works hard for their goals is a winner. “
“Squid Game” blossomed into the biggest series success of streaming provider Netflix within a few weeks, displacing, among others, “Bridgerton” and “Lupine” from pole position.