Korean actor Lee Jung-jae’s role in the hit K-Drama series Squid Game paved the way for him to be casted in the new Star Wars series, The Acolyte.

"I was actually quite surprised when Leslye (Headland, writer and executive producer) said that she saw Master Sol from my acting in Squid Game, because I feel like the two characters are so different. So I was very curious about what made her feel that way,” Jung-jae said via interpreter in a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Reflecting on the similarities of his characters in his recent two series, Jung-jae highlighted: "I do feel like both of my characters in Squid Game and The Acolyte embody this kindness and this desire to live in harmony with others and help others. So if I had to think of what she saw in me from Squid Game, then that would be it."

In The Acolyte, Jung-jae plays the role of Sol who is a respected Jedi Master. It's the first English role of the Korean actor. He underwent dialect coaching four months ahead of the filming and during the production itself.

When portraying his character, Jung-jae relayed that he took inspiration from the previous actors who played the role of a Jedi in Star Wars.

READ: Lee Jung-jae makes US TV debut in Star Wars ‘The Acolyte’

“I definitely was inspired by a lot of the past Jedi Masters and the wonderful actors that played them. And one of my favorite characters was Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson. I really kind of tried to find the connective tissue between him and my character, Master Sol," he said as reported by Entertainment Weekly.

The first two episodes of Star Wars:The Acolyte was released on June 4 on Disney+. 

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It was in 2021 when Jung-jae starred in the hit Netflix series Squid Game. Following his performance in the show, Jung-jae was nominated in various prestigious award-giving bodies including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in Television Series Drama, the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.

He became the first Asian actor to win the Emmy award for Best Male Actor in a Drama.