TOP finally broke his silence in a tell-all interview on Jan. 15, shedding light on his role in “Squid Game 2” and years of isolation, among others.
In his exclusive interview with The Times of Koreathe former BIGBANG member opened up about playing Thanos in the chart-topping Netflix series.
“The character mirrored my past, reflecting aspects I would prefer to keep hidden,” he said, adding that it was a “daunting proposition” that made him initially hesitate.
“But fate seemed to push me in this direction,” TOP added.
The rapper revealed that it was director Hwang Dong Hyuk who contacted him first, which he was grateful for and motivated to excel in his performance.
“The trust (and) belief he had in me gave me the courage to face this thing,” he said. “As an actor, it is my duty to repay the trust.”
TOP reveals that he has written many songs while living almost isolated from society for the past seven years:
“For the past seven years I have lived almost isolated from society, spending most of my time at home and in my music studio. So I continued to work on music in the dark… pic.twitter.com/SRZcf3suYD
— About Music (@AboutMusicYT) January 15, 2025
During the interview, T.O.P. recounted his 30s as a “lost time,” a chapter of his life steeped in relentless introspection and self-loathing. He brought up this time when the conversation turned to his surprising decision to withdraw his planned retirement in 2020.
Recalling, the actor-idol still featured in BIGBANG’s 2022 hit single, “Still Life.”
“For the past seven years I have lived almost isolated from society, spending most of my time at home and in my music studio,” he said, adding that making music was his means of coping.
“So I continued to work on music in the dark and the reason I did it wasn’t for any other reason, but because music was the only place I could breathe, while making music and standing in front of the microphone. I think that I made music to survive.”
“So I wrote countless songs, just listening to my dark heart and my inner turmoil. I wanted to heal myself through music and I want to share that music with my fans in some way.”
As he approaches 40, the “Turn It Up” rapper hopes for a “less dramatic life.” After being in the turbulent entertainment industry for over two decades, TOP now seeks a calm and ordinary life.
“I want to get to a point where I can wake up without being bombarded with negative news and feel more at peace,” he said.
