T.O.P, known off-screen as Choi Seung Hyun, has opened up with rare vulnerability while discussing his emotionally charged role in Squid Game 2, where he portrays the character Thanos. The former BIGBANG rapper revealed that stepping into the shoes of this flawed, controversial figure forced him to confront echoes of his own past. In an interview with Variety, he admitted that although it was a painful process, it also proved to be a deeply personal and cathartic journey. He shared how playing Thanos served as a mirror to moments in his life that he isn’t proud of, allowing him to reflect honestly on his struggles and missteps.
Thanos, also known as Player 230 in the globally awaited sequel, is a once-prominent rapper whose career disintegrates amid scandal and financial ruin. After being scammed through cryptocurrency, he spirals into addiction and becomes one of the most confrontational figures in the game. His violent threats toward a fellow contestant, a YouTuber who gave cryptocurrency advice, led many viewers to label him a villain. Yet T.O.P argued otherwise, describing Thanos not as a villain but rather as a “man-child,” someone who has not yet fully grown emotionally and is trying to navigate the wreckage of his life in his own misguided way.
Reflecting on how Thanos and he share some emotional and professional parallels, T.O.P acknowledged that they both experienced steep rises followed by very public falls. The rapper particularly connected with Thanos’ experience of losing everything and struggling to redefine himself. He pointed out that, like his character, he once competed as a rapper and placed second in a contest. More poignantly, he opened up about his past battle with addiction and the public backlash he faced following his conviction for marijuana use, which ultimately led to his departure from BIGBANG. “While you might think of me as a successful rapper, I also had my failures, so I had to come face-to-face with my past mistakes when I was looking at Thanos,” he said, underlining just how raw and relatable the character was to him.
Taking on such a role required immense bravery on T.O.P’s part, as it meant revisiting painful chapters in his own story. He shared his gratitude for Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who placed deep trust in him and offered a role that, while difficult, felt like an opportunity for personal redemption and artistic expression. By facing his demons on screen, T.O.P not only humanized a complex character but also allowed fans and critics alike to see him in a new, more introspective light.