Defending his decision to cast Choi Seung-hyun, aka T.O.P in Squid Game S2, Hwang Dong-hyuk reflected on the star’s past struggles and courage.

While Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun might have been the titular character of Squid Game, there were several iconic stars in the recently released season 2, that stole people’s hearts. One among them was Choi Seung-hyun who played the role of Thanos, Player 230, a rapper who was on drugs.

Choi Seung-hyun as Thanos aka Player 230 in Squid Game season 2 | image: Netflix

Now, shockingly Choi Seung-hyun’s onscreen character was rather similar to his real-life persona, especially since he’s popularly known as the controversial K-pop star, T.O.P. once imprisoned for recreational use of marijuana. Thus, reflecting on his casting, the Squid Game creator addressed the star’s struggles and the courage it took him to make a comeback.

Squid Game star Choi Seung-hyun was imprisoned for using marijuana 

Introduced in the new season of Squid Game, Choi Su-bong, aka Player 230 immediately comes off as an erratic character with his purple hair and bad-boy demeanor. Later, we get to know that he was a successful rapper, who goes by the name ‘Thanos’ (purple hair referring to the Marvel villain), until finding himself in some major debt following a crypto scam.

Further, as we peel off layers from the character, we learn how he uses drugs while participating in games, leading him to be an incredibly frustrating and reckless player in Squid Game. Now, surprisingly, the actor who played the role of Thanos in the show shared similar life experiences with his onscreen character.

According to reports from the Korea Herald, Choi Seung-hyun, aka K-pop Boy Band BigBang’s rapper T.O.P. who appeared as Player 230 in Squid Game, was once suspected of overdosing on benzodiazepine, after he was found unresponsive and in a state of trance. Prior to that in 2017, he was also tangled in a web of controversies following his recreational use of marijuana, in South Korea.

Real-life BigBang rapper T.O.P. in a still from Squid Game | image: Netflix

The drug scandal then led him to receive a ten-month jail sentence and two-year mandatory military service, since recreational use of marijuana is considered illegal in South Korea (via Yonhap). Thereafter, although Choi Seung-hyun survived his drug overdose and came through his dark times, the rapper was blacklisted in the entertainment industry for 9 years, until Squid Game revived his career.

Hwang Dong-hyuk defended his decision to cast Choi Seung-hyun as Thanos 

Therefore, while the spotlight on Choi Seung-hyun, aka T.O.P. was well-received by the world and earned him international praise following his appearance in Squid Game S2, the reaction was rather complex when it came to South Korea. The star’s past struggles with drug abuse resurfaced, with many questioning the show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s decision to cast him.

While Choi Seung-hyun’s character Thanos made headlines and appeared on social media for his iconic performance, local newspapers in South Korea went brutal about his casting and even labeled him as a “druggie rapper” (via Koreaboo). Criticizing his performance as “cringy” and questioning whether he was the best fit for the role, a reporter from local outlets blasted T.O.P.

That’s when, amid criticism, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk defended his decision to cast T.O.P. in the much-awaited show. Speaking with People, the showrunner claimed that no one could have played the role of Thanos better than Choi Seung-hyun. Rallying behind the BigBang rapper and lauding his courage for putting himself out there despite a public boycott, Dong-hyuk stood by him.

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk | image: Netflix Tudum

As you may know, the actor Seung-hyun, about nine years ago got involved in a marijuana scandal in Korea and wasn’t able to do any projects for the past nine years in Korea, and so this is a comeback after quite a long hiatus, and particularly because he portrays a character that’s a rapper and also someone who is on drugs.

I feel that it took him a lot of guts, in a way, to portray a character, especially someone who shares a lot of similarities that are quite negative to him as a person too, so I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role.

Therefore, while the marijuana scandal had an irreversible effect on Choi Seung-hyun’s career, which led him to get censored on Korean TV, making his Squid Game season 2 casting unbelievable, he still found his redemption through the show. T.O.P’s comeback as Thanos thus became an authentic casting for Hwang Dong-hyuk, who looked beyond the controversial rapper’s past mistakes.

Squid Game is currently available to watch on Netflix.