Cover Choi Seung-hyun (TOP) has built a remarkable career spanning K-pop, film and television. (Photo: JC Olivera/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation)
Choi Seung-hyun (TOP) has built a remarkable career spanning K-pop, film and television. (Photo: JC Olivera/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation)
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Actor, rapper and style icon—Choi Seung-hyun (TOP) shines in every field. Here’s a look at his best movies, series and solo songs
On November 4, fans around the world celebrate one of Korea’s most enigmatic talents: Choi Seung-hyun—better known as TOP of K-pop super group BigBang. For nearly two decades, he’s balanced two lives with precision: the magnetic rapper who helped define a generation of K-pop, and the actor whose intense performances turned him into a force on the big screen.
After a long hiatus following a turbulent period in his career, Choi has reemerged with explosive impact as Thanos in Squid Game 2, his first major project in years. His comeback reminded audiences why he remains one of Korea’s most distinctive artists—a performer whose work spans from self-written hits to critically acclaimed war dramas. On his birthday, here are nine key works that trace his evolution as both musician and actor.
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‘Big Boy’ (2006)
Above Choi Seung-hyun’s first solo track established his artistic credentials from the start
This track from BigBang’s debut album is the genesis of his entire artistic identity. As lyricist, composer and arranger, Choi Seung-hyun proved his creative vision wasn’t manufactured—it was innate. In an era when rookie idols rarely received production credits, he brought the confidence and self-direction of his underground rapper persona to the mainstream, laying the blueprint for everything that followed.
‘Iris’ (2009)
Above The espionage thriller made him a household name as the cold-blooded assassin Vick
This high-budget espionage series was Choi Seung-hyun’s true arrival as an actor. Playing Vick, a mysterious assassin for a shadow organisation, he created an archetype through minimal dialogue and maximum presence. With average viewership exceeding 30 per cent, the series dominated Korean television. His intense gaze and quiet menace established the actor template that would define his future film roles.
‘71: Into the Fire’ (2010)
Above His film debut silenced critics by sweeping Korea’s most prestigious acting awards
Choi Seung-hyun shattered the idol-actor stigma with this Korean War drama, playing Oh Jang-beom, the teenage leader of 71 student soldiers defending against overwhelming North Korean forces. The performance earned him Best New Actor at both the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards—Korea’s equivalent of the Oscars and Golden Globes—legitimising him as a serious actor virtually overnight.
‘High High’ (2010)
Above This collaboration with G-Dragon became a cultural phenomenon and chart-topper
Released from the blockbuster GD & TOP album, this synth club banger soared high on several music charts while the album ranked as 2010’s fifth best-seller. In 2012, Spin magazine named it the seventh greatest K-pop song of all time. The track’s “G-H-E-T-T-O E-L-E-C-T-R-O” chant provided a high-fashion, club-centric blueprint that influenced K-pop for years, cementing his status as a unit superstar.
‘Commitment’ (2013)
Above His first solo lead role proved his star power could carry a film independently
In Commitment, Choi Seung-hyun played Li Myung-hoon, a young North Korean operative posing as a high school student to complete an assassination mission. While critics were dismissive, calling it style over substance, audiences disagreed passionately. The film’s fan devotion translated into box office success, selling over one million tickets and proving his celebrity brand alone could transform a critically panned script into commercial gold.
‘Doom Dada’ (2013)
Above His artistic masterpiece merged high art with hip-hop in an impenetrable solo statement
Written and co-composed by Choi Seung-hyun, this alternative hip-hop track is his artistic thesis. The black-and-white music video references Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Salvador Dalí’s paintings and Dadaism itself. Despite its deliberately peculiar, anti-establishment structure, the unconventional song swept several major Korean music charts. Dazed magazine named it the number one K-pop track of 2013, marking the moment TOP the art collector and TOP the rapper fully merged.
‘Tazza: The Hidden Card’ (2014)
Above Leading this crime blockbuster certified him as a bankable box office star
Taking the lead in this beloved franchise sequel was a high-stakes gamble that paid off spectacularly. As Ham Dae-gil, the cocky card shark with a golden arm, Choi Seung-hyun successfully carried the high-budget film to over four million admissions in South Korea and US$31 million worldwide, cementing his status as a mainstream movie star—a distinction few K-pop idols ever achieve.
‘Out of Control’ (2017)
Above This Chinese-German thriller marked his expansion into international cinema
Choi Seung-hyun made his international film debut as Interpol agent Tom Young in this action thriller. The production represented his ambition to transcend Korean cinema and establish himself on the global stage, working alongside international casts and crews in a multilingual production that showcased his versatility beyond domestic projects.
‘Squid Game’ season 2 (2024)
Above His controversial comeback earned global acclaim and a prestigious acting award
Choi Seung-hyun’s return after nearly a decade was impressive. Playing Thanos (Player 230), a narcissistic fallen rapper with purple hair who joins the deadly games after losing his fortune to cryptocurrency, the role was deliberate meta-commentary. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk cast him despite fierce backlash, praising his courage for portraying a character with negative parallels to his own life. The vindication arrived when he won Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Gold Derby TV Awards.
After more than a decade in lifestyle media, Clifford has mastered the art of writing seriously about things that are fun—and writing fun things about people who take themselves very seriously. At Tatler Asia, he helped steer its flagship lists, Tatler’s Most Influential and Asia’s Most Stylish. And today, he leads T-Labs, Tatler Asia’s content innovation hub, where he continues the noble pursuit of lifestyle storytelling, spinning stories on wealth, entertainment, necessary style, Hallyu, Hollywood, beauty and more for audiences across Asia.
