He hadn’t foreseen the problems.
The director of Squid game, Hwang Dong Hyukrecently addressed his controversial casting of SUPERIOR. TOP is known for his drug use, particularly marijuana. Hwang had thought that since it had been six or seven years since he was last active, it would be right to choose him.
I didn’t realize until the press conference that TOP had not been forgiven to this point. When I chose it, I researched the history of celebrities who had resumed their careers after drug scandals, going back to the Park Chung Hee administration. At the time, there was a crackdown on marijuana use and many were allowed to return to the industry after about four years. Since it’s been six to seven years for Seung Hyun, I thought enough time had passed for people to accept him. However, I was surprised by the backlash.
After seeing the controversy and his comments about not returning to Korea, I realized, “This is a bigger problem than I thought.” But I personally couldn’t just say, “You can’t be a part of this because you haven’t been forgiven.” I wanted to work with him to create something that could show whether he could earn forgiveness. Ultimately it is up to the audience to decide whether they will accept him again after seeing his work.
— Hwang Dong Hyuk
In another interview, he repeated that he didn’t know it would be this bad. His specific reason was that abroad, marijuana is considered legal in many countries. AS Squid game attracted a lot of attention in international waters, Hwang thought the casting would not raise any issues.
I didn’t know it would be unforgivable to this extent. I’ve heard a lot of people raise the issue of casting. I thought such opinions would only be raised in Korea, and I thought internationally this wouldn’t be a problem since marijuana is legal in many countries overseas.
— Hwang Dong Hyuk
You can read more about his interviews regarding the casting of TOP below.
‘Squid Game’ Director Responds to TOP Casting Complaints
