Choi Seung-hyun, who transformed from a singer to an actor in the Netflix Korean drama that enjoyed global popularity and topped the charts for three weeks after its release, has been embroiled in several controversies over the past few years. These include smoking marijuana while serving in the military, leaving the iconic K-pop boy group Big Bang, and controversy over his acting skills in Season 2 of “Squid Game.”
In the play, Choi Seung-hyun plays the role of Thanos, a rapper who participates in the game while being deep in debt due to failed investments in drugs and cryptocurrency.
For Choi Seung-hyun, this role brought about uncomfortable feelings.
Seung-Hyun Choi said in an interview, “I felt a lot of pressure when I was offered the role of Thanos. The character was like a mirror reflecting my past that I wanted to hide. I hesitated because I was afraid I would be pigeonholed into one role. But it seemed like fate was leading me in this direction.” He said. He mentioned his past, having been sentenced to prison in 2017 for multiple marijuana smoking charges.
Unlike other cast members who attracted worldwide attention and actively promoted promotional activities, 37-year-old Choi Seung-hyun had been relatively quiet until this interview. This is the first official interview since promoting the 2014 movie ‘Tazza: Hand of God’.
Choi Seung-hyun said, “For the past 10 years, I felt like no one was looking for me. But Director Hwang Dong-hyuk reached out first. I was able to gain courage thanks to the director’s trust and faith. As an actor, it is my duty to repay that trust. “Showing good acting is another task in my life,” he added.
While preparing for the role of Thanos, Seung-Hyun Choi focused on the complexities of a drug-dependent character.
He explained, “The drug used by Thanos in the play is very powerful, so we investigated the effects of the drug while studying the character.”
He found that people dependent on powerful drugs suffered severe dental damage, extreme anxiety, and ADHD-like symptoms when off the drug.
Seunghyun Choi said, “I tried to act differently in the scenes before and after Thanos uses the drug.”
He also brought physical details to the performance, portraying Thanos with damaged teeth and unusual rhythms.
He said, “In southern American hip-hop, there is a style called ‘mumble rap’, which is associated with rappers who use powerful stimulants. I tried to capture that in the way Thanos delivers his lines.”
Big Bang debuted in August 2006, releasing numerous hit songs including ‘Lies’, ‘Haru Haru’, and ‘Bang Bang Bang’. This marked the beginning of K-pop’s global expansion, but the group’s activities were halted when Seungri, a member involved in a scandal in 2019, left the group and T.O.P left the team in 2023.
Fans hoped for a full-length comeback, but Choi Seung-hyun announced his retirement during a live SNS broadcast in February 2020, saying, “There will be no comeback in Korea, and there will be no return to the entertainment industry.”
When the news of Choi Seung-hyun’s casting in Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ broke, many people questioned the reason for reversing his retirement.
Choi Seung-hyun described his 30s as a “lost time” and said it was a time filled with extreme shame, self-loathing, and deep self-reflection.
He said, “For the past seven years, I have spent most of my time at home and in the music studio, almost cut off from society. I just continued to work on music in the dark. There was no other reason. Making music and standing in front of the microphone was the only place I could breathe. “I think I made music to survive.”
He added, “So I wrote numerous songs while listening to my dark heart and inner turmoil. I wanted to heal myself through music, and I hope to share that music with my fans one day.”
Choi Seung-hyun, who went through a tumultuous time in the entertainment industry, said she hopes to live a normal life in her 40s and have experiences similar to other young people in Korea.
“The biggest goal is to live a stable, less dramatic life,” he said.
Describing his vision for a ‘less dramatic’ life, he added, “I want to wake up in the morning peacefully and no longer be bothered by negative news.”
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