‘Squid Game’ Creator Praises K-Pop Star T.O.P’s Onscreen “Comeback” After Marijuana Scandal

Nearly a decade after receiving probation for marijuana use, Korean pop star T.O.P (aka Choi Seung-hyun) has made his public return in epic fashion.

Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk recently praised the BigBang alum’s performance in Season 2 of the Netflix K-drama as rapper Thanos after he was previously blackballed from Korean entertainment following his 2017 guilty plea to marijuana usage.

More from Deadline

• ‘Squid Game’ Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Says He Lost “Eight Or Nine” Teeth Shooting Netflix’s South Korean Mega-Hit

• ‘Squid Game’: Who Lives, Who Dies & How Season 2’s Ending Sets Up Third & Final Season

• 'Peaky Blinders' Creator Steven Knight Teases More Projects Beyond Film: "It Won't Be The End"

“As you may know, the actor Seung-hyun, about nine years ago got involved in a marijuana scandal in Korea and wasn’t able to do any projects for the past nine years in Korea,” explained Dong-hyuk to People. “And so this is a comeback after quite a long hiatus, and particularly because he portrays a character that’s a rapper and also someone who is on drugs.”

In Season 2 of Squid Game, now streaming on Netflix, disgraced Thanos (Player 230) quickly resorts to shady and lethal tactics as he competes in the high-stakes game while on drugs.

“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,” said Dong-hyuk. “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,” he added.

Following his 2017 indictment for marijuana usage, which remains strictly forbidden in South Korea, Seung-hyun overdosed on tranquilizers. “I would like to apologize for all the disappointment caused by my wrongdoing,” he said in a statement at the time. “I’m too ashamed of myself to even stand in front of people and apologize face to face.”

Best of Deadline

• ‘Mufasa’ Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda On Working With "Great Storyteller" Barry Jenkins & Why The 'Hamilton' Parallel Is A Myth

• 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More

• 'Griselda' Star Sofía Vergara Related To "An Immigrant, A Mother, A Strong Person,” But Was "A Bit Traumatized" By Playing "A Monster"

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.