Squid Game actor Lee Byung-hun reveals how his son called him out for being 'bad' in the show: 'Why are you so mean?'

On The Tonight Show, Lee Byung-hun humorously recounted his 10-year-old son's bewilderment over his roles in ‘GI Joe’ and ‘Squid Game’, illustrating the comedic challenges of explaining his acting career to his young children.

Trisha Bhattacharya
Published20 Jun 2025, 08:35 PM IST
Veteran Korean actor Lee Byung-hyun plays Frontman (R) in Squid Game.
Veteran Korean actor Lee Byung-hyun plays Frontman (R) in Squid Game. (Instagram, Netflix)

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun had the audience in stitches as he shared how his ten-year-old son reacted to finding out his dad plays the terrifying Frontman in the hit Netflix series.

“They're not supposed to watch Squid Game,” Byung-hun said with a grin. “I have a ten-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter. I think my son heard from a friend at school. One day, he looked really sad and asked me, ‘Why are you so mean?’”

Completely confused, Byung-hun replied, “What?”

Jimmy Fallon burst into laughter, jumping in to act out the moment: “You know I’m an actor. I love you. I’m a good dad!”

Byung-hun continued, “I said, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘You killed a lot of people.’”

It turns out, his son was especially upset about a scene involving T.O.P, the actor who played Thanos in ‘Squid Game 2’. “My son was very close to him,” Byung-hun explained. “He asked me, ‘Why did you hit him so bad, Dad?’”

Trying to explain, Byung-hun told his son, “I’m an actor,” but admitted, “I think he doesn’t understand 100 per cent.”

Jimmy nodded and laughed, “No, good for him. He should be a 10-year-old!”

Lee Byung-hun narrates what his son thought of his GI Joe role

The laughs kept coming as Byung-hun shared a hilarious memory from when his son was just three years old.

He had shown him a clip from GI Joe on YouTube, where Byung-hun plays a mysterious and deadly character.

His son stared wide-eyed and asked, “Are you really…?” To which Byung-hun whispered, “Shhh, no one knows. Even your mom doesn’t know.” The interrogation continued as the curious toddler asked, “Where is the weapon?” Keeping the story alive, Byung-hun replied, “It’s in America, in some storage.” Not satisfied, his son asked, “Why didn’t you bring it back?” With perfect comic timing, Byung-hun answered, “If I see some strong enemy, I’ll bring it back.”

The audience erupted in laughter, clearly loving the actor’s playful parenting.

For the unversed, Lee Byung-hun played the role of Storm Shadow in the 2013 film ‘GI Joe: Retaliation’.

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