Nearly a decade after being put on probation for marijuana use, K-pop star T.O.P. (aka Choi Seung-hyun) has made his epic comeback.
Squid game Director Hwang Dong-hyuk recently praised the BigBang alum's performance in the second season of Netflix drama K as rapper Thanos after he was previously excluded from Korean entertainment following his guilty plea in 2017 to marijuana use.
“As you know, actor Seung-hyun has been involved for about nine years in the marijuana scandal in Korea and has not been able to do any projects for the past nine years in Korea,” Dong-hyuk explained to the people. “So this is a comeback after a long hiatus, especially because he portrays the character of a rapper and also someone who uses drugs.”
In the second season of Squid gamenow streaming on Netflix, the disgraced Thanos (Player 230) quickly resorts to shady and deadly tactics as he competes in a high-stakes game while high on drugs.
“I feel like it took a lot of courage, in a way, to portray a character, especially someone who shares a lot of similarities that are very negative for him as a person as well,” Dong-hyuk said. “So I think it took a lot of courage for him to take on this role.
Choi Seung-hyun plays Thanos in the second season of Squid game (2024). (No Ju-han/Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection)
“Despite the long hiatus, I must say, as a director, his performance was very impressive and I am very satisfied with what he did with the character,” he added.
After being accused in 2017 of using marijuana, which is still strictly prohibited in South Korea, Seung-hyun overdosed on tranquilizers. “I would like to apologize for all the disappointment caused by my mistakes,” he said in a statement at the time. “I'm so ashamed of myself that I can't stand up in front of people and apologize face to face.”
