'Squid Game' director commends T.O.P amid negative reviews from fans

T.O.P portrays the character Thanos, a bankrupt rapper, and has received negative feedback from viewers for his performance. However, the show’s director, Hwang Dong Hyuk, praised T.O.P for taking on the polarizing role.

Squid Game, Netflix's mega-hit series, returned with the release of its second season on December 26th. The new season is led by veteran Korean star Lee Jung Jae playing the beloved Seong Gi Hun. He ushers in the latest episodes with a star-studded cast, including rapper T.O.P from the now-disbanded group BigBang.

T.O.P received a jail sentence of 10 months and a two-year suspension from his mandatory military service back in 2017 due to his illegal use of marijuana. In light of the rapper’s previous conviction, Hwang Dong Hyuk called his performance a “comeback” in a new interview with People.

According to the showrunner, it demanded significant “courage” for him to play a character that struggled with substance abuse considering his own history with illegal substances.

“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,” he shared. “So I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role.”

He further went on to compliment T.O.P performance in the show after his career break: “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.”

The character of Thanos has resulted in mixed reviews, with some criticizing his acting while others applauded the rapper for bringing humor to the high-stakes series.