Hollywood Bound: ‘Squid Game’ Actor Anupam Tripathi Signs Up With CAA Talent Agency
- The Indian actor played Ali Abdul, a migrant worker from Pakistan, in the Korean series which created a splash on Netflix.
Anupam Tripathi of “Squid Game” fame has signed with Los Angeles-based talent agency CAA, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Indian actor played Ali Abdul, a migrant worker from Pakistan, in the Korean series which created a splash on Netflix. The 32-year-old joined a veteran cast with South Korean heavyweights like Lee Jung-Jae and Park Hae-soo and earned praise all over the world for his acting. According to Vice, Tripathi’s casting is hailed “as a massive win for minority representation in South Korea, where foreign actors often only land minor roles.”
In preparation for Ali’s character, Tripathi told Vice that he “met people, watched documentaries, and read articles about migrant workers in Korea and abroad.” And although he has played migrant worker roles in movies and dramas, Tripathi said Ali, his “first full-fledged character, was different in so many ways. The way he looked, the way he behaved, his background—so many questions were in my mind on how I was going to portray him.”
He is nominated for a SAG Award, and is sharing the nomination for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series with the rest of the “Squid Game” cast — “the first such nomination for a series not in English,” noted The Hollywood Reporter. Also fluent in English, he will next be heard in Marginal Mediaworks’ upcoming podcast drama “Scammers.” He will voice the lead role in the English-language series, penned by up-and-coming writers Vishnu Vallabhaneni and Karan Sunil.
Tripathi landed his first significant role in 2014. He made a guest appearance in the Korean film “Ode To My Father,” which stands fourth among the highest-grossing films in South Korean history.
Born in India, Tripathi began his career as an actor in 2006. He moved to South Korea in 2010 to study film at the Korea National University of Arts (KARTs). He told Today Online that he hid his plans to move to Korea from his parents while preparing for the entrance examination [because] they were firmly against it. “They only relented after I was accepted.”
Fluent in Korean, he has acted in several Korean TV and films as a supporting actor. In Seoul, the Delhi-born Tripathi had to overcome language and cultural barriers for more than a decade. “Challenges are part of the game we choose to be a part of,” Tripathi told Vice. “I knew there were going to be challenges but I am a very positive, curious and friendly guy… that’s how I spent an enjoyable 11 years in Korea.”
Tripathi landed his first significant role in 2014. He made a guest appearance in the Korean film “Ode To My Father,” which stands fourth among the highest-grossing films in South Korean history. This movie was then made into a Hindi remake titled “Bharat” featuring Salman Khan in the lead. He then starred in other K-dramas, including Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-Kyo on “Descendants of the Sun.” He also appeared on Joong-ki’s “Space Sweepers” earlier this year.
Tripathi told Vice he chose “Squid Game” because he was “blown away” by the script and said he read it “in one sitting.” After auditioning for the role of Ali, Tripathi told Vice that when he eventually got the call from Netflix, confirming the role, he was happy and nervous at the same time.
In an interview posted on Twitter Hwang Dong-Hyuk, director of “Squid Game” recounts when he discovered Tripathi Anupam and chose him to play the role of Ali Abdul!“It was hard to find good foreign actors in Korea,” Hwang said, recalling how Tripathi appeared “out of the blue.”
“He was fluent in Korean and he could act. His emotional acting was amazing, too.”