From the very beginning of his Squid Game introduction, it’s obvious that struggling rapper Thanos — played by South Korean superstar Choi Seung-hyun, also known as T.O.P — stands out from the competition. Whether he’s grinning through Red Light, Green Light, intimidating fellow players, or dancing around the Mingle carousel, there’s no one else like Thanos on your screen. That was always Choi’s intention. 

“I personally wanted to aim high and create a never-before-seen character,” Choi tells Tudum from Seoul. So he and director Hwang Dong-hyuk had countless discussions on how to build one of Squid Game Season 2’s most scene-stealing characters. 

“We decided to be a little more bold with some parts of the character. We were experimenting with different elements. Through that process, there’s just so much that I learned as an actor,” Choi explains. Eventually, the duo — along with Squid Game’s hair and makeup team — settled on Thanos’ eye-catching purple hair, vividly painted “Skittle” nails, and unforgettable personality, which Choi says is much more complicated than what all the flirty banter and silly (if villainous) antics seem to reveal. Thanos is also battling substance abuse issues amid a life-or-death game. 

Below, Choi explores the legend that is Thanos, unveils secrets from the creation of his inimitable style, and gets to the root of that deadly Episode 6 bathroom brawl. 

We get a taste of Thanos’ rap sensibility throughout Season 2. How do you think his musical persona affected how he played Squid Game?

When you watch the series, it explains that Thanos is not an established rapper. He’s someone who has failed as a rapper. He’s also someone you might easily refer to as a “loser.” So I interpreted the character as someone who is very simple, yet unpredictable.

What kind of conversations did you have with director Hwang and the rest of the Squid Game team while putting together Thanos’ look? 

One of the things that director Hwang said to me first about the character was that he didn’t think Thanos would have black hair. And I agreed. So — while talking over what look he would have with the hair and makeup team — we thought that because he’s someone so simple, so intuitive, he would probably have purple hair. Because that’s the skin color of the actual Thanos [from Marvel]. I showed director Hwang purple hair and he really loved it. 

No Ju-han

His nails are also very personal to him. How did you settle on those? 

As for the nail colors, they’re the colors of Thanos [the comic book character’s] infinity stones. I asked the director what he thought about that. And he loved it, saying that he really loves Skittles as well — and the nails look like Skittles too. He really was up for the idea.  

That decision is actually what led to a scene in Episode 4, before the Six-Legged Pentathlon. In the scene, you see Se-mi ask Thanos, “Oh, did you collect all the infinity stones?” And he holds up his hand saying, “Of course.” That conversation was actually added because of [our choice of nail polish]. And I think all those things really made Thanos pop on-screen and a lot more vivid.

Has there been a fan response that really meant something to you? 

Honestly, I didn’t get around to looking them up myself, but I have a lot of memes and whatnot sent to me from people in my life. Sometimes director Hwang sends me Thanos memes, too. Watching them, I am in awe of how creative everybody is. I’m deeply grateful for all the support that you all have shown Thanos.

Do you think Thanos’ unpredictable — and now much-memed — behavior during the games was merely his natural personality? Or a way to cope in a really stressful situation? 

Very simply speaking, Thanos is someone who’s heavily reliant on drugs, and that’s what led him to his fall. I tried to create a contrast between who he is –– before he’s under [the influence of] drugs, and after. Because the drugs that he takes are so intense and very strong. 

Before he’s under the influence, Thanos experiences intense anxiety. He’s really nervous, and his true self is someone who gets easily scared. However, when he’s under the influence of the drugs, he’s basically no longer himself, right? 

That would explain some of his more erratic behavior later in Season 2. 

In Episode 6, he kicks Gyeong-su out of his group, literally saying, “Gyeong-su, you? Out!” And then the next moment he’s like, “Hey, where’s my Gyeong-su?” You would see him constantly forgetting his crew’s names and whatnot. In a nutshell, he’s just someone who’s not fully there.

Thanos dies soon after the aforementioned Mingle incident, in a bathroom fight. Did that feel like a fitting end for him? 

Thanos is someone who is under the influence of drugs. He’s a dangerous character. So when I first read how he dies in the script, I honestly thought that it was about time. I thought his death was quite timely, and I also thought he deserved to die. 

I was also actually very thankful to the director and the team, because they portrayed Thanos’ death at a very random time in the story. That made it that much more impactful. 

If Thanos hadn’t died, how do you think he would have reacted to Gi-hun’s rebellion? 

Based on my interpretation of him, Thanos would probably be dancing with the pink soldiers.

Relive all of Thanos’ best moments by (re)watching Squid Game now on Netflix, and keep coming back to Tudum for all your Squid Game news. 

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