Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ being the perfect reality adaptation of the incredible 2021 original series by Hwang Dong-hyuk, we honestly get a competition series unlike any other. However, as you probably noticed, there are a few significant changes in this production — such as the lack of a Front Man, a completely diverse cast, as well as no Tug of War, amongst others. Though what intrigued us most in this entire journey was the voice of the Lead Guard and how it seemed familiar yet not — so now, if you simply wish to learn who’s behind it, here’s what we know.
The Voices Behind the Mask
Proudly biracial Korean-American actor, voice actor, and writer Nick Martineau is the man behind the square-masked Lead Guard in both ‘Squid Game’ as well as ‘Squid Game: The Challenge.’ The reason it was actually a little difficult to immediately recognize him was because of the language/dialect change between the Korean original and the English adaptation, but it’s positively him. In fact, as per his recent social media post confirming the same, it appears as if he’ll also be reprising this role in the fictional show’s season 2, which has reportedly already begun filming.
“I reprised my role as the Square Masked Manager in Squid Game: The Challenge!,” Nick revealed in an Instagram post, as seen below, before further expressing. “Thank you to my friends at @studiolambert and @netflix for letting my voice be the ultimate bearer of bad news, fake blood, and real tears. I truly had a blast and I hope this will whet everyone’s appetites while we wait for season 2!”
It turns out Nick is a big gamer himself, so getting the opportunity to be a part of such projects is almost like a dream come true for him, especially since they also bridge the gap between different cultures. He has since even indicated that his biggest strength as a creative entertainer is arguably presenting genre fluidity as an Asian in the West to ensure representation in all areas, even if it isn’t entirely visual.
Moreover, and more importantly, it’s imperative to note that since 2021, Nick has actually landed several other voice acting gigs, including in the video game ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ as Kim ‘Horangi’ Hong-jin. His credits hence include at least seven series, a couple of videos, a video game, as well as a podcast series. The latter is ‘Podcast141’ as a guest, whereas the others comprise ‘Heavenly Delusion’ as Dr. Sawatri, ‘Bossy Bear’ as Falcon, Owl, plus Super Flock, ‘Lookism’ as Jin Ho Bin, ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ as Jung Myeong-Seok, ‘Fishbowl Wives’ as Saya’s husband, ‘Sweet & Sour’ as Lee Jang Hyeok, ‘Sijipeuseu: The Myth’ as Copilot (English version, voice), ‘Lupin the 3rd vs. Cat’s Eye’ as a few extra voices, and ‘Jung_E’ as Sang-Hoon.
Read More: How to Apply for Squid Game The Challenge? How to Join the Cast?
