Among the new characters introduced in “Squid Game” Season Two, none feel quite as unpredictable or strangely magnetic as Thanos. Played by rapper and actor Choi Seung-hyun, known globally as T.O.P., the purple-haired misfit brings a chaotic energy to the series that cuts through its otherwise grim tone. Whether delivering cringe-worthy rap lines, flirting with fellow contestants mid-game, or recklessly pushing the limits of survival, Thanos immediately stands apart from the rest of the competition.
At first glance, he’s comic relief. But look closer and the performance reveals something more deliberate. Thanos is unmoored, driven by mood swings, drug dependence, and delusions of grandeur. He unnerves other players not by brute force, but by acting as if nothing, including his own life, matters. “He’s like a loose cannon,” T.O.P. says. “You never know what he’s going to do next.”
It’s the kind of character that could easily veer into caricature, but T.O.P. approached it with precision and restraint. Rather than play Thanos as a villain, he envisioned him as a lost manchild, a grown adult emotionally stuck somewhere between bravado and oblivion. “Instead of menace, I wanted to show him like a loser,” he says. The result is a character who is somehow absurd, dangerous, and a little tragic all at once.
For T.O.P., the role marked a major return to acting after several years away from the screen. Best known as a member of BIGBANG, one of K-pop’s most influential and controversial groups, he had stepped away from public life following legal issues and a highly publicized mental health crisis. In the years since, he focused on personal recovery, creative work, and remaining largely out of the spotlight.
That time away helped shape his approach to the character. Some of the absurdity in Thanos, he admits, came from confronting his own past. “When I first encountered this character, I had to come face to face with my own mistakes,” he shares. “By making fun of them through Thanos, I was able to reflect and move forward.” That blend of dark comedy and emotional honesty gives the performance its surprising weight.
T.O.P. spoke to Awards Focus, no longer wearing the purple hair but still carrying the same charisma he brought to the screen, about returning to acting, building the character of Thanos, and the life lessons hidden beneath the chaos.
Awards Focus: Hello, T.O.P. It’s great to meet you. I’m Ben with Awards Focus.
Choi Seung-hyun (T.O.P.): Hi, very nice to meet you. My name is T.O.P.
AF: Your character, Thanos, brings something new to the world of “Squid Game.” We hadn’t seen anyone quite like him in Season One—he’s hilarious at times, but there’s also an undercurrent of anger and danger. How did you draw from personal experience to create that balance? And was it difficult stepping into a role like this after taking some time away from acting?
T.O.P.: My character, Thanos, could be described as a little dorky. He’s got a few screws loose—like someone who jumped out of a comic book. Most of the time, he’s under the influence of a very strong drug, so I spent time researching how he would behave both on and off the drug. One key thing is that he has big mood swings—extremely high highs and low lows, nothing in the middle.
Together with Director Hwang, we talked a lot about creating a character we’ve never seen before.
AF: Would you say it’s the drugs that make him so reckless? In the games, he seems to have no fear—not just for his own life, but for others’ lives as well.
T.O.P.: He’s a loose cannon. He makes everyone around him nervous because you never know what he’s going to do next. But instead of playing him as a classic villain full of menace, I wanted to approach him like a loser, a manchild. He’s a grown adult, but he’s not even thinking like a school kid. That’s what I was going for.
AF: Thanos is also the only Korean character who speaks English at times. Was that your decision, or something built into the script?
T.O.P.: All the English lines were already in the script—that was Director Hwang’s idea. But his English isn’t fluent. In Korea, we call it “Konglish”—a mix of Korean and English. Thanos has never been to the U.S. in his life. He just watched some movies, listened to music, and thinks he knows English. I thought it would be absurd and funny for him to try speaking it.
And for the rap lines—since I’m a rapper myself—Director Hwang gave me a lot of freedom. He told me I could come up with something that matched Thanos’s vibe. In the original script, the rap was longer, but I felt that Thanos wouldn’t be a successful rapper. His lines would be short, simple, even a little cringe. I wanted them to be memorable, something people could repeat easily.
AF: I’m glad you brought that up. If Thanos hadn’t met his demise in that bathroom scene, how far do you think he would’ve gotten in the games? What qualities might have helped him survive?
T.O.P.: That’s a good question—I’ve never been asked that before. Looking at his personality, I think Thanos could have made it to the end. Or at least, he would have believed he could.
AF: Final question for you. After being away from acting for some time, what do you hope audiences take away from your performance as Thanos?
T.O.P.: I think Director Hwang wanted to reflect the struggles of Gen Z through Thanos. There are so many issues with drug use today, and that’s why he built that into the character.
It’s a sensitive topic, so I want to be careful, but I hope people take away this message: live a good life. Don’t do bad things. Don’t do anything illegal.
Personally, this character forced me to face my own past. I’ve made mistakes. I had to gather my courage to take this role, and in the process, I learned something. By making fun of my past mistakes through this character, I was able to reflect and grow. It helped me see how far I’ve come.
AF: That’s powerful—and very cathartic. Thank you so much for your time.
T.O.P.: Thank you so much.