Park Sung-hoon to play trans woman in Squid Game season 2—here's what we know

"Hyun-ju is a former special forces soldier and a transgender woman. She joins the game because she's short on money for her gender-affirming surgery," Sung-hoon said while discussing his character (via Tudum). "Even though she faces prejudice and tough situations, she shows incredible strength, decisiveness, and natural leadership. Through her resilience, she breaks down stereotypes and shines as an inspiring character."

While some fans are praising the actor and show for introducing a trans character and seemingly wanting to treat her with respect, other fans are confused as to why a trans actress wasn't hired.

In the Netflix documentary Disclosure, which takes a look at the history of trans representation throughout Hollywood history, actress, writer and producer Jen Richards spoke about the connection between men playing trans roles and real-life violence against trans women.

"In my mind, part of the reason that men end up killing trans women out of fear that other men will think that they are gay for having been with trans women, is that their friends, the men whose judgment they fear, only know trans women from media and the people who are playing trans women are the men that they know," Richards says in the documentary. "This doesn't happen when a trans woman plays a trans woman; Laverne Cox is just as beautiful and glamorous off-screen as she is onscreen. When you see these women off-screen still as women, it completely deflates the idea that they are somehow men in disguise."

However, some fans are defending the casting.

"For the quotes, how do you expect them to find the trans actress who is willing to out herself to get the role, who hasn't done any gender-affirming surgery, who can act the role and who is willing to withstand transphobic comments from people from sk and all over the world," one Twitter user asked.

While the character is entering the game to be able to pay for her surgery, there's no reason an actor playing the role would have had to have no surgeries unless she is going to be shown naked in the series.

This year there have been several great TV shows and movies starring trans women in trans roles (Baby Reindeer, Emilia Pérez, Stress Positions, The People's Joker, Heartstopper), so this casting is an unfortunate step backwards in some ways.

Squid Game season 2 premieres Thursday, December 26 on Netflix.