Squid Game director is biased towards Top Bigbang, bad acting still wins award

Recently, Netflix's official account conducted a survey with the question: "Who is your favorite new character in Squid Game this season?". More than 50% of the total 700,000 people voted for TOP's role as Thanos.

Second place went to Park Sung Hoon, who plays Hyeon Ju, with 23% of the votes, while third place went to Jo Yu Ri, who plays the pregnant Jun Hee, with 19%. During the press conference, TOP's absence, due to concerns about domestic public opinion, made foreign netizens express their curiosity. Many left comments, asking for him to appear.

In the film, TOP plays Thanos, a rapper who participated in a hip-hop survival show. Since the project was announced, the former BigBang member's role has been controversial, due to his statement that he would not be active in the entertainment industry in Korea. This has led to negative reactions to his role. When Squid Game 2 aired, his awkward rap and exaggerated expressions led to negative reviews from domestic audiences. In addition, many viewers expressed their discomfort with his appearance in the film.

Previously, in 2017, TOP was convicted of marijuana use and sentenced to 10 months in prison, with a probation period of 2 years. The character's setting - a rapper whose career was ruined by drugs - caused controversy, as it had many similarities to his real-life problems.

However, for foreign audiences, things are different. Many international audiences consider Thanos to be a “game changer” in Squid Game 2. Another point is that international audiences judge TOP’s acting through subtitles or dubbing, which is a different viewing experience than Korean audiences, which may have contributed to the different attitudes. Because Thanos is a unique and outstanding character, this has attracted the attention of foreign audiences.

Business Insider, a foreign media outlet, praised TOP's performance: "The character most mentioned by critics is Thanos, played by TOP. From the dancing scene in the middle of the challenge to the insecure yet optimistic performance, he is one of the best villains this year."

Director Hwang, in an interview, emphasized, "We auditioned many people, and TOP was the best among them. I don't know him in real life, and I'm not a fan of BigBang. I didn't cast him to help him return to the entertainment industry." He also mentioned that he expected the character to be well received overseas.

Director Hwang added, "In season 1, there were many people who didn't like the exaggeration of some characters. Korean audiences prefer more realistic performances and find exaggerated acting weird. I think Thanos might be received that way in Korea. But overseas, people like such characters. How people evaluate the acting of different characters depends on the culture."

Netizens commented: "Investors should start by banning Hwang from interviews", "Who ignored public opinion against hiring TOP despite his drug scandal?", "This is not the Olympics; why ask for unconditional support?", "He seems out of place and arrogant"...

In fact, this is not the first time the director of the movie "Squid Game" has caused controversy.

In a YouTube interview with InStyle last month, ahead of the second season's release, Hwang Dong Hyuk boldly declared, "If Squid Game season 2 isn't fun, then nothing in the world is fun."

Actor Lee Byung Hun even signaled Hwang Dong Hyuk to calm down, but Hwang added, "If you're not happy, you're probably just depressed."

In addition to the controversial statement above, Hwang Dong Hyuk also had some harsh reactions to other comments. Specifically, after NBA star LeBron James condemned the ending of "Squid Game" part 2, Hwang Dong Hyuk responded in an interview with The Guardian: "Thank you for watching the whole series, but I won't change the ending. If he has his own idea for a satisfying ending, he should make his own sequel. Then I'll watch it and say, 'It was great, except I didn't like the ending.'"

Squid Game 2 was defeated, the director immediately spoke up extremely strongly, causing controversy. Bảo Nam21:04:35 13/01/2025SBS's latest romance drama, Love Scout, has captured the attention of viewers, achieving a significant increase in viewership in just one week, beating out even the blockbuster Squid Game.