T.O.P

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Choi Seung-hyun
T.O.P
Born	November 4, 1987 (Age 37) Seoul, South Korea
Gender	Male
Occupation	Actor Singer Rapper
Appears in	Season 2
Portrays	Thanos

Choi Seung-hyun (최승현 Choe Seung-hyeon^?), better known by his stage name T.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and actor who played Thanos in Season 2 of the Netflix original series Squid Game.

Background

In 2017 (seven years prior to his casting in Season 2), T.O.P, had pled guilty to drug use and was blacklisted in the Korean music industry; during that period, he also overdosed and was hospitalized as a result. By 2024, Seung-hyun was cast as Thanos, also a rapper and shown to have a drug problem, which even years later drew ire and backlash from some fans.

Hwang Dong-hyuk for his part praised Seung-hyun for the courage to return to the public spotlight after nine years and to portray a character with similar negativities as Seung-hyun had in his own life, saying "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."

On January 15, 2025, T.O.P gave his first interview since 2014, where he admitted to The Korea Times that the role of Thanos struck an uncomfortable chord with him, as the character mirrored aspects of his past that he would rather keep hidden. He also revealed that the fear of being typecast in one role made him hesitant to take on the part.

In preparing for his portrayal of Thanos, T.O.P focused on the complexities of a character heavily reliant on drugs. "The drug that Thanos uses in the series is extremely potent, so I researched the effects of such substances while developing the character," he explained. Through this research, he discovered that individuals dependent on powerful drugs often suffer significant dental damage and experience intense anxiety and symptoms similar to ADHD when not under the influence.

T.O.P said that he “tried to act differently in scenes where Thanos had not yet used the drug versus those where he had.” He also added physical details to his performance, portraying Thanos with damaged teeth and adopting a rhythm that deviated from the norm.

Additionally, T.O.P noted that "there’s a style of rap in southern U.S. hip-hop called ‘mumble rap,’ often associated with rappers who use powerful stimulants. I tried to channel that in the way Thanos delivers his lines."

References

T. O. P with Lee Jung-jae