Squid Game creator loses teeth amid S3 stress

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has endured immense challenges to deliver one of television's most gripping dystopian dramas—including an unexpected dental toll. Shockingly, the showrunner recently disclosed he's lost additional teeth while working on Season 3.

"I believed the worst was behind me, but this time I needed two more extractions," Hwang confessed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I removed about eight teeth during Season 1, now two more are gone, and I haven't had replacements yet. I'm currently waiting for them."

Initial reports suggested Hwang lost six teeth early in production, but in November 2024 he clarified the actual count was eight or nine teeth. The upcoming final season—which Hwang confirms concludes the series—proved slightly less demanding, though still took its toll.

"Having already established the show's universe, Seasons 2 and 3 were conceptually easier than Season 1," Hwang explained to EW. "However, we simultaneously wrote and filmed both seasons as one continuous production. We wanted to deliver Season 3 quickly, so the workload was massive—approximately a full year of shooting, which was physically exhausting."

At a recent Gotham Awards red carpet interview with Indiewire, Hwang shared potential plans for a spin-off. "If I created a parallel story, it would explore the three-year gap between Seasons 1 and 2," he revealed. "I'd show what happened during that interim period."

Squid Game Season 3 arrives on Netflix June 27, 2025.