‘Squid Game’ season two was a “comeback” for Korean rapper T.O.P after prison sentence, says director

nme.com:

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.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.