"Mysterious and unpredictable" — Former BIGBANG member T.O.P reveals the thought process behind executing his Squid Game character, Thanos

On January 3, former BIGBANG member and Squid Game 2 cast member T.O.P discussed his role in the series with PEOPLE. He plays Thanos, a retired rapper who lost his wealth to a cryptocurrency scam, struggles with substance abuse, and has an eccentric personality.

When the second season of Squid Game released, many fans and netizens were intrigued by the character as he stood out from the crowd with his unique and thought-proving personality.

Many people also hilariously ccommented on the character, stating that T.O.P. was most likely not given a script and was asked to do whatever he wanted on the show.

Therefore, many were curious as to how the idol portrayed the character of Thanos in the series. In the interview with PEOPLE, he shared that he intended to find the right balance between being too lighthearted and comical. He was also motivated to showcase a personality that the audience hadn't seen before.

Here's what he said:

"Since I’m a rapper myself, I tried to deliver the lines as naturally as possible while not being too lighthearted or comical. My personal goal was to show the viewers a character they hadn’t seen before — someone who is mysterious and unpredictable and with a couple of loose screws."

---

Squid Game's director, Hwang Dong-hyuk comments on the character Thanos and T.O.P.'s portrayal of the same

On January 3, the director of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyuk also sat down for an interview with PEOPLE. Among the several characters he created for the show's second season, he was also inquired about Thanos, played by the former BIGBANG member, T.O.P.

One of the things the director highlgihted on was the fact that T.O.P shared several similarities with Thanos, pariticularly in a negative way. While Thanos was portratyed of as a person engaging in substance abuse, T.O.P. was also given a 10-month jail sentence and a two-year suspension from his mandatory military service in July 2017 after being found guilty for his marijuana usage.

Moreover, both Thanos and T.O.P are rappers. Therefore, the director stated that he was impressed that the idol was able to couragrously take up the role and execute it well. Here's what Hwang Dong-suk said:

"I feel that it took him a lot of guts, in a way, to portray a character, especially someone who shares a lot of similarities that are quite negative to him as a person too. So I think it took him a lot of courage to take on that role. Despite the long hiatus, I have to say, as a director, he performed very impressively and I’m very satisfied with what he did with the character."

---

Therefore, many fans and netizens have also been chiming in to the fact that the idol executed one of the most intriguing and impressive characters on Squid Game 2.