Why Lee Jung-jae Isn't Thinking About Squid Game Season 2 Yet

Lee Jung-jae is trying his best to stay in the present after his 2022 Emmy nomination.

The Squid Game star is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, alongside Succession's Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong, Ozark's Jason Bateman, Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk and Severance's Adam Scott. It's a big surprise for the South Korean actor, who's still in awe of the response to the series.

"It just feels like a miracle," Lee told E! News. "I think this is completely unbelievable."

So, it makes sense that Lee isn't thinking about Squid Game season two, as he wants to relish this career-defining moment. (The series received 14 nominations, including Outstanding Drama series, making it the first Korean-language series to garner an Emmy nomination.)

More than that, the actor trusts creator Hwang Dong-hyuk to create a compelling follow-up that will surprise even him. "I'm trying to stop myself from thinking about the storyline of season two or trying to imagine anything," Lee explained, "because I really want to capture that intense feeling when I read the script for the first time."

What You Should Watch After Squid Game

He added, "I think the director is trying to coming up with a lot of ideas even at this moment, but I intentionally try not to ask him any questions."

Netflix confirmed Squid Game's renewal in a June 12 letter from Hwang, which teased Lee and Lee Byung-hun's return, as well as the introduction of a new character. According to the creator, Young-hee, the girl who inspired the animatronic figure in Red Light, Green Light, will reunite with her boyfriend Cheol-su.

What's more, Netflix is looking for people to play a real-life version of Squid Game—minus the execution part, of course. In the series, 456 players will go head-to-head in a series of games similar to the ones played in the show. Whoever makes it through the competition will take home $4.56 million. Netflix joked, "The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed."

Looks like Netflix has another hit on their hands!

Read the complete list of Emmy nominations here!

(E! and NBC are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)

Don't miss E!'s live 2022 Emmys red carpet show Monday, Sept. 12, followed by the Emmy Awards ceremony at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.