It may shock fans to discover Squid Game actor Choi Seung-hyun (better known as T.O.P.) was at the center of some major controversy before appearing in the series.
Choi debuted in Season 2 of the hit Netflix series, joining Squid Game's extensive cast as Thanos, a retired rapper who lost his money after making a dodgy crypto investment, forcing him to partake in the games.
Fans may recognize the actor as the musical artist T.O.P., a South Korean hip-hop artist previously part of the beloved K-pop group BigBang.
Thanos Actor Choi Seung-hyun's Squid Game Controversy
Fans may wonder why Choi Seung-hyun's inclusion in the Squid Game Season 2 cast caused so much controversy.
Choi (aka T.O.P.) found himself in hot water back in 2017 following the musician-turned-actor being convicted of using recreational marijuana.
According to reporting from Kpop Herald, Choi was suspected of using the banned substance in October 2016 before appearing in front of a judge and being found guilty in June 2017. As a part of his sentencing, Choi was handed down a 10-month suspended jail sentence for drug use and two years of probation.
At the time, he was working as a police officer as a part of his mandatory service (an obligation of all South Korean men) but was ultimately moved to complete his mandatory service as a public service worker.
While the stigma surrounding marijuana has somewhat lessened in the Western world over the last decade, that has not been the case internationally. The substance is still frowned upon in Korean society, making Choi's use of the drug a big deal in South Korean pop culture.
Choi eventually left BigBang in May 2023 after a short-lived comeback by the K-pop group. His departure was not directly attributed to his past legal troubles but instead seems to have been because of creative differences.
This controversy was not something that Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk was unaware of when casting Choi. In December 2024, Hwang told People that because of the legal charges, T.O.P. had not been able "to do any projects for the past nine years in Korea," calling his inclusion in the series a "comeback:"
"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."
He said that T.O.P.'s character hit close to home for the former music star, as Thanos in the series is "a rapper and also someone who is on drugs:"
"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."
"I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role," the Squid Game creative admitted, lauding Choi for his work in the series:
"So I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role. Despite the long hiatus, I have to say, as a director, he performed very impressively and I'm very satisfied with what he did with the character."
Squid Game Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. Season 3 of the hit series will be released in 2025.
