After the second season of Squid Game premiered and former BIGBANG member T.O.P‘s portrayal of the rapper character Thanos was hotly debated, the Netflix blockbuster’s director, Hwang Dong Hyuk, mentioned in an interview that he had considered other people for the role.
In the interview on January 2, Hwang specifically named rapper Swings and said he considered the rapper for the Thanos character—said to be inspired by the contestants on Show Me The Money—but ultimately decided against it because he “couldn’t trust” Swings’s acting abilities.
“Squid Game” Director Addresses Complaints About T.O.P’s Casting
[Thanos] is always in a euphoric state, similar to some of the quirky rappers you see on Show Me the Money. I combined elements of such figures into this character…
…The character of Choi Su Bong, who appears as Thanos, was not created to cast Choi Seung Hyun. I wanted to showcase the problems young people face, such as Bitcoin and drugs. I even thought about giving the role to someone like rapper Swings, but I felt I would have difficulty trusting their acting skills.
— Hwang Dong Hyuk
Swings had already shared the interview via his Instagram Stories…
…but some days after the interview, Swings took to his social media, like Instagram and YouTube, again and shared several videos of himself.
Speculated to be in response to his name mentioned in the interview, Swings’s update revealed that he had actually been learning how to act for about a month now and that he has since been dedicated to it.
Actually, it’s been a month since I started going to an acting academy, and lately, I’ve just been doing this all the time. And it’s so much fun. I’ll post occasionally, so I’d appreciate it if you check it out from time to time (today is just a teaser, haha). Happy New Year!
— Swings
The latest update shows Swings trying out a scene from actor Lee Byung Hun‘s 2005 K-Movie A Bittersweet Life. He shared his first, second, and third takes—each building a little more with a voice in the background providing guidance.
To this new endeavor, some fans are teasing him about being salty about not making it into the Squid Game lineup.
- “Hyung, is this about Squid Game?”
- “He must have been upset that Squid Game didn’t cast him because of his acting skills.”
Most others, though, are rooting for him as he continues to challenge himself and push his limits.
- “Your drive for challenge is impressive, hyung.”
- “You’re amazing for challenging yourself and learning, from Spanish to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and now acting.
- “As expected from Swings hyung, hahahaha. You’re truly pure and cool. The way you always push yourself and never lose your passion is impressive. You’re amazing.”
Read more about the time T.O.P once doodled all over Swings’s face.
BIGBANG’s T.O.P Once Doodled All Over Rapper Swings’s Face — Here’s What That Was About
Source: Insight
