Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk has described the hit show’s second season as being a “comeback” for the Korean rapper T.O.P.
- READ MORE: ‘Squid Game’ season two review: Netflix’s survival thriller will wrap its tentacles around you again
T.O.P, real name Choi Seung-hyun, was given a 10-month jail sentence and a two-year suspension from his mandatory military service in 2017 after being found guilty of using marijuana.
Following the controversy, the rapper and actor – who rose to prominence as the lead rapper of the boy band BIGBANG in the 2000s – was excluded from the Korean entertainment industry until his appearance in Squid Game.
In the Netflix thriller, he plays Thanos, a famous rapper who becomes Player 230, and uses drugs while competing.
Speaking to People, Dong-hyuk has explained his decision to cast T.O.P in his show, while praising him for his performance too. He said: “This is a comeback after quite a long hiatus, and particularly because 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. So I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role.”
He added: “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.”
After T.O.P was indicted in June 2017, he shared a handwritten apology to fans, writing: “First of all, I would like to extend my sincere apology to many of you for causing huge disappointment and disturbance. I feel so embarrassed that I can’t show myself in front of you to apologize.
“I have no excuses and deserve any kind of punishment. I feel very regretful and fearful for having left an irreparable scar in everyone’s hearts, including our members, my agency, friends and family. I will reflect on my wrongdoing over and over again. Once more, I apologize for not being able to apologize to everyone personally.”
A day after his indictment, he was hospitalised after being found unconscious due to a suspected overdose of prescribed benzodiazepine. However, his mother confirmed the following day that he’d regained consciousness and was recovering.
Squid Game season two came out on December 26, over three years after the first season was released. NME gave it four stars in a review, saying, “After a sluggish start, the second season of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s amorality contest really finds its feet,” and adding: “With Squid Game‘s third and final season due next year, it’s hardly a spoiler to say there’s no clear resolution. But the final episode is still breathlessly exciting and chokingly emotional. You’ll be left gasping as Squid Game gets its tentacles around you and squeezes hard.”