Invited to speak last weekend during a panel, Steven Spielberg evoked the success of “Squid Game” to illustrate the profound changes within the television industry. Remarks poorly received by some Internet users.
The director of West Side Story, whose film is nominated for awards from the American producers’ guild (PGA Awards, editor’s note), notably pointed to the fact that the Korean series had succeeded in attracting millions of viewers in the United States. despite the presence of unknown actors in the credits.
“A long time ago, local stars drew audiences to movie theaters. Today, it is interesting that unknown actors can play in the main roles of miniseries and even films. Squid Game is coming and it totally changes the equation for all of us, ”said Steven Spielberg before turning his gaze in the direction of Ted Sarandos, the boss of Netflix. “Thank you Ted” he added.
Accusations of navel gazing
A statement badly received by some Internet users on social networks who were quick to point out that the comedians of the series were celebrities in South Korea, in particular Lee Jung-jae and Park Hae-soo. And that the words of the director were therefore the expression of American ethnocentrism in all its splendor.
“Americans believe that the world does not exist anywhere but in the United States. They think everyone adores them when in reality they are making fun of us. Actors, singers, politicians, scientists, doctors, lawyers, bosses, all of this exists in other countries. Stop being so ignorant”, reports the American site The New York Post.
Several messages of the same tone were posted on social networks after Steven Spielberg’s statement. However, many Internet users have tried to point out that the director was only talking about the fact that American viewers did not know the cast when they discovered Squid Game, and that it was for him to compliment Netflix for having illustrated, through this series, that the presence of stars was in no way necessary for the success of a fiction.