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On Wednesday, January 15, former BIGBANG member T.O.P opened up about the struggles he faced during his hiatus in a recent interview with the South Korean media outlet The Korea Times. The idol explained that during the time he was isolated from society, most of his time and energy was spent on music.
He also added that he'd often switch between spending time at the studio or at his house. Naturally, he ended up with several songs that he wrote during the hiatus.
"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 just kept working on music in the dark and the reason I did that was not for any other reason, but because music was the only place where I could breathe, when I was composing music and standing in front of the microphone."
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He continued,
"I think I made music to survive. So I wrote countless number of songs, just by listening to my own dark heart and inner turmoil. I wanted to heal myself through music and I want to share that music with my fans in some way."
In 2017, following the idol's military enlistment, T.O.P was charged with substance abuse. After admitting to his usage of marijuana, the idol was sentenced to three years of jail time. While he was discharged in 2019, he was not active in the industry for a long time and continued to maintain a low profile until his most recent participation in the South Korean TV series, Squid Game 2.
Former BIGBANG's T.O.P comments on his recent role in Squid Game 2, Thanos
During the interview with The Korea Times, T.O.P also talked about other things that he's recently been delving into. He also briefly touched upon the character he played in Squid Game 2, which has been garnering a lot of attention from fans and netizens.
"The offer to play Thanos was a daunting proposition. The character mirrored my past, reflecting aspects I'd rather keep hidden. The fear of being pigeonholed into one role made me hesitate. But destiny seemed to be pulling me in this direction."
He continued to talk about how he was grateful for Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk, to reach out to the idol despite his inactivity in the industry.
"For almost 10 years, I felt no one looked at me, but director Hwang Dong-hyuk reached out to me first. The trust (and) the belief he had in me gave me the courage to take this on. As an actor, it is my duty to repay the trust. Excelling in my performance is another assignment in my life."
T.O.P also touched upon the methods he used to make his character more interesting and intriguing. He explained that he researched a lot about the drug that Thanos was using in order to showcase similar expressions and behavior.
Additionally, given that Thanos is an ex-rapper, T.O.P also stated that he tried to use the mumble rap style that's often seen in Southern U.S. hip-hop “rappers who use powerful stimulants.” All in all, the idol stated that though he was hesitant about playing the character, he exerted much effort and work into executing Thanos in Squid Game 2.
