T.O.P Addresses The Scathing Criticism For His Acting In “Squid Game
On January 15, KST, former BIGBANG member T.O.P gave his first media interview in eleven years as a part of the promotions for Squid Game 2. While talking to the press on this day, he addressed the harsh criticism he received for his performance in the Netflix series.
T.O.P. played the character of Thanos, a rapper with drug issues, in Squid Game 2. As soon as the series was released on December 26 of last year, he earned scathing reviews for his acting from major Korean media outlets and a significant number of viewers. Even the decision behind his casting became a controversy, which was recently addressed by his co-star, Lee Byung Hun.
In his recent interview, the former BIGBANG addressed the negative response to his performance, saying, “I have to endure everything and accept it humbly.”
Going into the details, T.O.P. explained that Thanos was deliberately portrayed as a caricature-like character because he was never intended to be seen as someone cool or with substance.
Some people said the character felt detached, but I had many discussions with the director and designed the character meticulously. When I read the script, I saw the character one that brought some relief to all the darkness and heaviness. It was depicted in such an unrealistic and comic book-like manner. Thanos was not supposed to be a flashy or cool rapper, but a failed, hip-hop loser character. Since he was also a character who relied on drugs, he was meant to appear ridiculous and pathetic, so that’s how I set the character.
— T.O.P
He even admitted that filming the scenes of Thanos’s drug addiction was difficult, given his own past.
It was tough facing the shame about my own past when shooting the scene where Thanos is using drugs in front of hundreds of staff and actors. I researched the character deeply, and the drugs Thanos uses are so powerful that I had to look up a lot of materials.
— T.O.P
Even Thanos’s rap in the show was scripted in a way that could reflect his ridiculous oddity.
If you consider the mental age of the Thanos character, his rap had to be at the level of a literal child like Crayon Shin-chan. I tried to express the awkwardness of a hip-hop loser.
— T.O.P
T.O.P admitted that even he cringed at the cartoonish rap he had to do as Thanos but pushed through for the sake of the role.
Meanwhile, T.O.P also discussed the possibility of his return to music in the recent interviews. Read more about it here.
