Who plays Thanos in Squid Game season 2? Boss defends T.O.P. casting following scandal
30 December 2024, 23:41
Former K-pop idol Choi Seung-hyun plays Thanos (Player 230) in Squid Game season 2. Here's why his casting shocked fans in South Korea.
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Squid Game's Thanos has emerged as one of the most popular characters of season 2, but who plays him?
Amongst the cast of Squid Game season 2 are several K-pop idols, including Jo Yu-ri and Im Si-wan (who play Player 222 and Player 333, respectively).
On top of that, season 2's most chaotic player Thanos (Player 230) is played by former K-pop idol and former BIGBANG member Choi Seung-hyun, also known as T.O.P.
As soon as his casting was announced, K-pop fans lost their minds. But while the majority were excited to see the star back on their screens, some people in South Korea thought the decision to cast him was a controversial one due to a previous scandal that landed him in prison.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has since praised the star and defended the decision to cast him, calling Choi a "necessary" addition to the series. Get to know the rapper and actor here.
- Read more: Squid Game season 3: Release date, cast, plot, spoilers and more
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Who plays Thanos (Player 230) in Squid Game?
Choi Seung-hyun (a.k.a. T.O.P) plays Thanos in Squid Game season 2
37-year-old South Korean rapper and actor Choi Seung-hyun appears as Player 230 in the second season of the Netflix show. Much like Choi, Thanos is also a rapper.
Choi is best known as T.O.P., the former lead rapper of BIGBANG. He debuted with the group in 2006 and went on to sell over 140 million records worldwide. As a solo artist, he also released songs including, 'Turn It Up' and 'Doom Dada'.
His first acting role was in 2007's K-drama series I Am Sam and in 2009, he starred opposite Squid Game's Front Man Lee Byung-hun in Iris, the thriller K-drama. He also received two Best New Actor awards in 2010 for his performance in 71: Into the Fire.
Prior to starring in Squid Game, Choi's last on-screen role was in the 2017 Chinese film Out of Control.
Choi Seung-hyun served 10 months in prison for illegal marijuana use
In 2017, Choi Seung-hyun was given a 10-month jail sentence and a two-year suspension from his mandatory military service after he was found guilty of using marijuana. The substance is illegal in South Korea.
At the time, Choi released handwritten apology to his fans, reading: "First of all, I would like to extend my sincere apology to many of you for causing huge disappointment and disturbance," he wrote, per the Korea Herald. "I feel so embarrassed that I can’t show myself in front of you to apologize."
"I have no excuses and deserve any kind of punishment. I feel very regretful and fearful for having left an irreparable scar in everyone’s hearts, including our members, my agency, friends and family. I will reflect on my wrongdoing over and over again. Once more, I apologize for not being able to apologize to everyone personally."
Choi was then blacklisted from the Korean entertainment industry. In 2022, BIGBANG made a comeback but T.O.P confirmed he had parted ways with YG Entertainment, then completely withdrew from the group in 2023.
His role in Squid Game season 2 is essentially his comeback and return to the spotlight after a nine year hiatus.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has defended T.O.P.'s casting
In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, Squid Game boss Hwang Dong-hyuk shared the reason behind his decision to cast the actor despite people seeing him as a controversial figure in South Korea.
"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," he said. "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."
Hwang continued: "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."
Prior to the release of the series, Hwang also spoke with Maeil Business Newspaper and said that Choi's casting was "necessary" for the show.
Read more about Squid Game here:
- Is there more episodes of Squid Game? Here's why season 2 is so short
- Who is 001 in Squid Game season 2? His real identity explained
- Who is Front Man in Squid Game? His identity revealed
- Squid Game prize money converted from Won to USD: How much is 45.6 billion won?
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