Choi Seung-hyun: ’Squid Game 2’ star and rapper T.O.P. on channelling his demons

Rolling Stone UK sat down with Choi Seung-hyun, a Korean born actor, singer-songwriter and former member of K-pop band BIGBANG, otherwise known by his stage name T.O.P, over Zoom from Seoul to discuss his starring role as Thanos in Squid Game 2 and how his past demons helped him prepare for the role.

“The fact that I met a character like Thanos is my destiny,” Seung-hyun told us of landing the role in the record-breaking series, alongside a conversation about his love of the character’s style, the worldwide domination of K-pop and more.

Read our Q&A with Choi Seung-hyun below.

How were you approached to be on the show?

I was in my music studio, focusing on writing and creating music. And one day the production company of Squid Game reached out to me and suggested I take part in the audition. And so, I sent in an audition tape which interested the director.

What made you want to take on the role of Thanos?

Well, I think first because Thanos is not like a cooler, great rapper, but he’s a failed hip-hop loser, so to speak. That was what I was most drawn to.

Did you have any input into the creative styling of your character?

We designed the character through multiple meetings. One day the director said that I don’t think Thanos would have just regular black hair. And so, from that we were thinking about how because Thanos is just such a simple-minded character, he would probably have purple hair. And as for Thanos’s tattoos as well, one by one it was designed meticulously with a lot of discussion with the hair and makeup team.

And as for his nails, which are coloured in the colours of Infinity stones too, because you know, he’s such an absurd and over the top character, I thought that it would add more to his cringe worthy character if he had the manicure in the colour of Infinity Stones. So, when I shared the idea with the director, he said, hey, that is not something that we see every day, let’s do it. And when I had the manicure on and showed it to him, he loved it.

He also said that his favorite snacks are Skittles, and it almost looks like Skittles too. And that actually gave birth to a scene that wasn’t originally written in the script, which is when the characters Se-mi meets Thanos and he introduces himself. And so, she laughs at him saying that did you collect all the Infinity Stones? And then my character says, of course, showing off his manicure. So that scene was added later on. And all those moments added to creating a lot more vivid character.

Did your past experiences help you get into the role?

To be able to portray Thanos meant that I had to come face to face with some of my shameful past. And so, I had a lot of internal debating going on. But after thoughtful consideration, I came to the conclusion that in a way, the fact that I met a character like Thanos is my destiny.

I think that gave me the courage to step up to the challenge. And because the drugs that he abuses in the story are strong, I went ahead and researched how that shows up in people who are under that kind of influence. Do you know what, what are some of the effects that these drugs can have on people? And I learned that they can become extremely anxious. It can cause extreme nervousness, also a very intensive sensitivity, and that it causes dental damage as well. So, I tried to bring everything that I had studied into my character design.

Have you got any secrets that you can spill to fans of the show from filming?

If I spill it, it will no longer be a secret.

How was it filming that bathroom fight scene?

It required such intense action sequences. While I was dueling with Yim Si-wan playing the role of MG coin, there was a small accident where I slightly fractured my rib cage. But we were almost at the end of the shoot day and so we did emergency measures on me and then I just powered through the rest of the sequence.

With the world of Squid Game expanding into other spin offs, could we ever expect a Thanos prequel more from the character?

Since I’m not the director, it’s not something that I had imagined.

If approached though, would you say no?

Well, I’m going to have to read the script carefully and take my time deliberating.

Korean music has really taken the world by storm. How have you found it being part of that phenomenon?

As a musician, all that’s happening makes me want to bring even better music to the world.  I think it allows for us musicians to think deeper about what kind of music we want to share with the world and personally I feel responsible to bring more original and creative music. It’s something that I am deep in thought about these days and also is experimenting with a lot.

Can fans of your music expect anything else in the future?

For years I have spent most of my time, if not all, creating music and as a result of that I have accumulated so much music. And so I can’t tell you exactly when, but I am hoping to be able to share that with the world because I do feel it is my duty to be able to share my music with the fans. And so I am hoping to be able to do that sooner or later. Sooner than later.

Do you have a song of yours that is most personal to you. If so, which one and why?

Because Thanos is my most recent character, I actually thought about what track would be the most fitting or is the most similar, maybe in tone with Thanos. And it would be my track called ‘Doom Dada’. I think it really fits that in the sense that it’s a very unique track. It has a very strange mood to it and a very unique vibe. So I think that one is most like Thanos.