Segye Ilbo | Journalist Han Yoon Jong
Squid Game 2 director Hwang Donghyuk has responded to the controversy surrounding the casting of T.O.P (Choi Seunghyun, 37), a former member of Bigbang.
Regarding his decision to cast T.O.P, who previously was sentenced to probation for using marijuana, Director Hwang Donghyuk explained, “When we decided to cast Choi Seunghyun, the incident related to drug use had occurred quite some time ago. He had already received his sentence, and the probation period had ended, so I thought, ‘Isn’t it time for him to be able to start something new?’ and made the decision to cast him.”
He continued, “Many people expressed concern about my decision, and for a second I thought, ‘Maybe I didn’t think about it thoroughly.’ We evaluated him. He showed strong determination and even auditioned in person. He also sent us a video of him acting, and when he got nervous in some parts during the script-reading sessions, we reevaluated him and he showed a lot of effort and talent. He showed a lot of effort and talent. To be honest, I had been interested in him as an actor for a while. I can't tell you in detail, but the role he’s playing requires a lot of courage, and I thought he was the most suitable choice.”
Director Hwang added, “Despite the controversy, we had already gone through many stages together, so undoing the decision wasn’t a choice. The only way to show why we chose Choi Seunghyun is through the final result. So, we decided not to cancel the decision of casting him. I understand some may still not understand why I insisted on this, but I want to clarify the circumstances. I hope when the series is released, viewers will realize it wasn’t an easy decision, and they’ll understand it wasn’t easy for Choi Seunghyun either. Please judge it until you see the final result.”
-The whole entertainment industry is rotten.
-I don't want to watch this series.
-I was waiting for this season to be released to see the actor that I like, but seeing this made me not want to watch...
-What does the final result have to do with that person using drugs?
-I thought he said he was gonna retire from the entertainment industry?ㅋㅋㅋ
-Yeah, I'm definitely not gonna watch itㅋㅋㅋ
-I can't believe he thinks it's okay to cast him because that scandal happened a while ago... A drug user is back on TV with no problems, that's the issue. This is going to brainwash people think that it's okay (for criminals to be back on TV). How can a public figure lack such ethics?
-Well, Joo Jihoon still continues working in the industry after his drug scandal too anyway... However, T.O.P has an even worse image because he was caught with liquid marijuana and women. If he turns out to be an amazing actor, people's reactions might change, though... But isn't there more to the Squid Game issue than just T.O.P?ㅠㅠ
-Why should we watch this show?
-I hope it flops.
-The shamelessness of those in this industry is next-level.......
-It's ridiculous and pathetic how he tries so hard to clean up criminals' imagesㅋㅋㅋㅋ
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