‘Squid Game’ director speaks up on criticism of T.O.P

The director of Netflix’s hit series Squid Game, Hwang Dong Hyuk, recently responded to criticism of T.O.P’s performance of Thanos in the second season.

While international response to the character have been generally open, South Korean audiences have been more critical due to cultural differences and the similarity to T.O.P’s past to Thanos.

T.O.P, who is a rapper and a former member of the now disbanded group BigBang, was previously convicted for the use of illegal substances. He was also suspended from his mandatory military service.

Hwang Dong Hyuk, however, defended the character and T.O.P’s portrayal despite the negative reviews, “In Korea, where serious, realism-based performances are the norm, the cartoonish and exaggerated nature of such characters may feel ‘awkward’ or ‘overdone.’ That’s the kind of role Thanos plays, and that’s how I directed it.”

He went on to explain the intention behind his creation of the controversial character, adding, “While some viewers in Korea may find it overacted or excessive, I wanted to create a character that could evoke such polarizing reactions. I believe younger audiences or international viewers might find the character memorable and even enjoyable.”

Hwang stated that they had initially faced some trouble finding the right person to portray the troubled rapper, “We held auditions, but Seung Hyun wasn’t initially considered for the role. We held auditions for a long time, looking for someone who could portray a hip-hop-loving, drug-using character, but I couldn’t find anyone who met my criteria.”

He decided to give T.O.P a try after someone on his team suggested him, “Since he used to act and rap, they suggested contacting him through the production company. I wasn’t expecting much, considering he had been away for a long time and had quit everything after the marijuana incident. I think he spent a lot of time reflecting on whether he could play a rapper ruined by drugs, a role that was so similar to his own story.”

Hwang Dong Hyuk concluded that even though he was taken aback by the the amount of criticism, he believes that T.O.P’s hiatus period was sufficient enough for him to reflect on his actions.