Who Is Choi Seung-hyun (T.O.P), a.k.a. Thanos in ‘Squid Game’ Season 2?

Squid Game season 2 finally arrived on Netflix on December 26, 2024, pulling viewers into a new set of deadly children’s games played for a life-changing prize. While the season includes returns from original cast members, from Lee Jung-jae and Wi Ha-joon to Lee Byung-hun and Gong Yoo, it dedicates most of its time to introducing a new set of desperate, debt-ridden players.

Among the new season 2 cast, one actor surprising fans with their dark comedic performance is Choi Seung-hyun as the pill-popping, retired rapper Thanos (Player 230). Choi’s casting became an immediate topic of conversation among K-pop fans, as he’s known as the former member of one of Korea’s most successful idol groups. For anyone unfamiliar with the actor and rapper, read on to learn more about Choi Seung-hyun, a.k.a. T.O.P, and his decades-long entertainment career. (And once you finish watching the new episode, check out our breakdown of Squid Game season 2’s ending and our guide to the forthcoming season 3.)

Choi Seung-hyun, a.k.a. T.O.P, is a former member of BIGBANG.

Choi, 37, is best known among music fans as T.O.P, the former lead rapper and visual for the iconic boy group BIGBANG. The musician began his career as an underground rapper before debuting with BIGBANG in 2006. The group went on to sell over 140 million records worldwide, and their song “Fantastic Baby” was the first K-pop music video to hit 300 million views on YouTube. Choi also released solo singles, including “Turn It Up” and “Doom Dada.”

After a tumultuous extended hiatus (more on that below), Choi left YG Entertainment in 2022, before officially withdrawing from BIGBANG in June 2023. Though he hasn’t recently released solo music, he did participate in co-writing the group’s 2022 single “Still Life.”

He’s an award-winning actor who made his debut in 2007.

Choi won his first acting role just a year after his music debut, with a role in the romantic K-drama I Am Sam. The star actually collaborated with some of his Squid Game co-stars earlier in his career. He worked with Yang Dong-eun in I Am Samand in 2009, Choi and Lee Byung-hun starred in the popular thriller K-drama Iris.

In 2010, Choi received two Best New Actor awards for his performance in the Korean War movie 71: Into the Fire, from Korea’s prestigious Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards.

His other notable credits in the years since include the 2013 action film Commitmentthe 2014 crime movie Tazza: The Hidden Cardand the 2015 romance drama The Secret Message. Squid Game season 2 is Choi’s first acting role since the 2017 Chinese film Out of Control.

He’s an Art collector and the grand-nephew of a pioneering Korean artist.

Choi was born into an artistic family; his great-uncle is the famed Korean abstract artist Kim Whanki, whose piece “Universe” became the first-ever Korean painting to sell for over $10 million at a 2019 auction.

Now Choi is an avid art collector himself. He and his BIGBANG bandmate (and childhood friend) G-Dragon were listed on ARTnews’ 2019 list of 50 Art Collectors to Watch. Choi also occasionally shares the new art he’s acquired on his Instagram.

In addition to his art hobby, the actor is an entrepreneur who owns the brand T’SPOT Wine. He was also formerly set to go to space as part of Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s dearMoon civilian mission, but the project was canceled in June 2023.

He served 10 months in prison for illegal marijuana use.

Choi took a hiatus from his entertainment career in early 2017, as he began serving his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman. That June, he was accused of smoking marijuana, which is an illegal substance in South Korea that holds a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Choi pleaded guilty to using marijuana four times; the judge sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years since the actor showed regret for his actions, and publicly apologized to his fans. Choi served his probation for two years and completed his military service as a public service worker in July 2019.

‘Squid Game’ creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has defended his casting.

In an interview before Squid Game season 2’s release, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk defended his choice in casting Choi, arguing that the actor was “necessary” for the show.

“In the case of Choi Seung-hyun, it was quite a while when I decided to cast him,” he told Maeil Business Newspaper. “The sentence was already handed down, the probation period was over, and if that time had passed, I thought it would be time to start something like this again.”

Hwang added, “[Choi] showed a lot of effort and talent when he worked hard and sent me acting videos and verified them once again when he was nervous while reading…I can’t tell you in detail what kind of character it is, but it takes a lot of courage for Choi Seung-hyun to play this role. That’s why I personally thought this actor was the best fit for me.”