T.O.P. breaks silence after Squid Game backlash and apologizes for “reckless” past
NetflixT.O.P., the K-pop star who played Thanos in Squid Game Season 2, has finally spoken out in a new interview, apologizing for his “reckless” behavior and explaining why he returned to acting.
Thanos is arguably the most memorable character (and popular, according to a poll on Netflix’s social media accounts) in Squid Game Season 2. He’s completely different from all of the other players; a drug-addicted, animated celebrity who relishes the brutality and excitement of the challenges.
However, despite the actor receiving plenty of praise from fans across the world, his experience has been a bit different. His face was blurred out on South Korean broadcasts, and he’s barely featured on Netflix’s Korean accounts.
T.O.P. – real name Choi Seung-hyun – was previously convicted for marijuana use. That will seem like a minor offense to some readers, but attitudes in South Korea are much stricter, and it greatly affected his career on-screen and with his K-pop group BigBang.
T.O.P. confronts “past mistakes and shame” in new interviews
NetflixT.O.P. has spoken out in multiple interviews, addressing people’s criticisms and how he regrets his past behavior.
“I felt a strong desire to apologize for everything that has happened. I also feel that the lack of communication has led to a lot of misunderstandings. After careful consideration, I gathered the courage to come forward,” he said (via CNA).
“In my 20s, I experienced glorious moments and received an overwhelming amount of love. However, I fell and faced ruin because of my mistakes. Experiencing such a downfall left me mentally devastated.
“I struggled to make rational decisions, everything seemed negative, and I dealt with significant self-hatred. As a result, I made many mistakes due to poor judgment. I deeply regret those mistakes and have been reflecting on them sincerely.”
T.O.P. announced his retirement in 2020 after intense negative publicity, declaring that he wouldn’t return to Korea.
Talking to Sisa Week, he said: “So I think I made a huge mistake at the time because I was so stressed out. I still feel ashamed of that part and I think I have to reflect on it for the rest of my life. I’m really sorry.”
T.O.P explains why he said yes to Thanos in Squid Game
NetflixT.O.P. has already been praised by Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who said it was “brave” of the actor to take the role after his past controversy.
“I felt a strong desire to repay the trust of director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who reached out to me even though no one had looked at me for 10 years,” he explained.
“That’s also why I gained confidence. The reason I was able to muster up the courage to play Thanos was because he wasn’t a righteous character. He was a loser and a character with a drug problem that reflected the current times. I think I wouldn’t have been able to muster up the courage if it had been a different character in a different work.”
In another interview with The Korea Times, he said playing Thanos was a “daunting proposition. The character mirrored my past, reflecting aspects I’d rather keep hidden. The fear of being pigeonholed into one role made me hesitate. But destiny seemed to be pulling me in this direction.”
T.O.P. has no plans to rejoin BigBang (he said it’s been “too long” for him to return). However, he’s hoping to “receive forgiveness from the Korean public” and “establish a stable and less dramatic life.”
You can also find out why Thanos speaks English in Squid Game and what we know about Squid Game Season 3.