He gave a detailed answer.
On January 15 KST, ex BIG BANG member SUPERIOR gave his first media interview in eleven years as part of promotions for Squid game 2. That day, speaking to the press, he addressed the harsh criticism he received for his performance in the Netflix series.
T.O.P played the character of Thanos, a rapper with drug problems Squid game 2. As soon as the series was released on December 26 last year, it earned fierce criticism for its acting from mainstream Korean media and a significant number of viewers. The decision behind the casting has also become the subject of controversy, which his co-star, Lee Byung Hun.
In his recent interview, the BIGBANG alum addressed the negative response to his performance, saying, “I have to endure everything and accept it with humility.”
Going into detail, TOP explained that Thanos was deliberately portrayed as a caricature character because he was never meant to be seen as someone interesting or having substance.
Some people said the character seemed aloof, but I had many discussions with the director and designed the character meticulously. When I read the script, I saw the character bringing some relief to all the darkness and heaviness. It was depicted in such an unrealistic and cartoon-like way. Thanos wasn’t supposed to be a flashy or interesting rapper, but a failed hip-hop underdog character. Since he was also a character who relied on drugs, he had to look ridiculous and pathetic, so that’s how I set up the character.
– SUPERIOR
He also admitted that filming the scenes of Thanos’ drug addiction was difficult, given his past.
It was difficult to deal with the shame of my past while filming the scene where Thanos uses drugs in front of hundreds of staff and actors. I researched the character thoroughly and the drugs Thanos uses are so powerful that I had to research a lot of material.
– SUPERIOR
Even Thanos’ rap on the show was scripted in a way that could reflect his ridiculous weirdness.
When considering the mental age of Thanos’ character, his rapping had to be on the level of a literal child like Crayon Shin-chan. I tried to express the embarrassment of a hip-hop loser.
– SUPERIOR
TOP admitted that he too cringed at the cartoonish rapping he had to do as Thanos, but he lobbied for the sake of the role.
Meanwhile, TOP also discussed the possibility of his return to music in recent interviews. Read more here.
