Former BigBang member T.O.P breaks silence, addresses controversies

Former BigBang member T.O.P made his showbiz return in the recently released Squid Game 2, but faced criticism for his role.

In the Netflix drama series, the 37-year-old plays Thanos, a rapper who joins the deadly game after going into debt over drug use and cryptocurrency investments.

In real life, T.O.P, also known as Choi Seung-hyun, was once sentenced to jail for multiple instances of marijuana use back in 2017.

He told The Korea Times in an article published today (Jan 16) that the offer to play Thanos was a "daunting preposition".

"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," he said.

This was his first official interview since his promotional activities for the 2014 movie Tazza: The Hidden Card.

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He continued: "For almost 10 years, I felt no one looked at me, but director Hwang Dong-hyuk reached out to me first. The trust and the belief he had in me gave me the courage to take this on. As an actor, it is my duty to repay the trust. Excelling in my performance is another assignment in my life."

Thanos uses potent drugs and T.O.P told The Korea Times he researched the effects of such substances to portray him.

He found that individuals dependent on strong drugs commonly experience dental damage and intense anxiety, as well as display symptoms similar to ADHD when not under the influence.

"I tried to act differently in scenes where Thanos had not yet used the drug versus those when he had," he added.

T.O.P made his 2006 debut alongside GDragon, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri in the K-pop group BigBang.

Following his marijuana scandal in 2017, he announced his retirement from showbiz in a February 2020 livestream. He also left BigBang in 2023.

In an interview with Sports Kyunghyang also published today, he was asked about reversing his decision to retire.

"At the time, I was going through a dark period and social media was the only means of communication I had. I deeply regret and feel ashamed of the words I foolishly said due to my lack of judgment," he said.

He looked back on his past mistakes and said his actions hurt his loved ones and "caused great harm" to the BigBang members.

"At that time, I was broken and didn't have the strength to get back up, so there were times when I thought about quitting everything," he said, adding, "At the same time, it broke my heart to read the posts from fans waiting for my comeback. This pain is something only the person directly involved would know."

He said he was "not in the right state of mind" at the time: "I regret saying those things and think it's something I should reflect on."

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com