T.O.P Reportedly Attends “Squid Game 2” First Table Read Without Knowing If He Was Officially Cast Or Not
Squid Game 2 had its first table read on June 23, and it was recently announced that T.O.P (also known as Choi Seung Hyun) attended without knowing whether or not he was officially cast in the Netflix show.
In June, Netflix announced the lineup of actors for the second season of the record-breaking Squid Game. Among the lineup was former BIGBANG member T.O.P, which stirred up controversy because of his history of drug use.
Perhaps it was because of his controversy, but T.O.P’s casting process differed slightly from the others. According to Star News, T.O.P attended the first table read without receiving confirmation of his casting in Squid Game 2. The first table read is when the cast and production team gather together and the actors read through the script for the first time. Usually, actors receive confirmation of their casting before attending the table read; however, the order was reversed for T.O.P, who did not get confirmation until the day of the script reading.
Despite the uncertain situation, T.O.P attended the reading and the group photo shoot. It was reported that Netflix reportedly prepared different versions of the pictures in case T.O.P’s casting fell through. It may also be why T.O.P’s image wasn’t included in the two social media posts on Netflix Korea’s Instagram showing the actors during the read-through.
In 2016, T.O.P was prosecuted for smoking marijuana and received a 10-month prison sentence with a 2-year probation. Despite controversies surrounding him, T.O.P will still be in Squid Game 2, and it was reported that he started filming for the show earlier this week.
In Squid Game 2, set to be released in 2024, T.O.P will be playing the role of a former K-Pop idol who retired.
