WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Squid Game season 3.
The shocking cameo at the end ofSquid Gameseason 3 gets first-look responses from several keySquid Gamecast members, including Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae.Squid Gameseason 3 endedwith a series of shocking twists, including the sacrificial death ofGi-hun, better known as Player 456, and the somewhat random surprise guest appearance ofCate Blanchett’s Squid Game recruitercharacter.
After In-ho, the Front Man, leaves Gi-hun’s daughter his original Squid Game fortune in Los Angeles, he spots Blanchett’s recruiter playing ddakji with someone in an alleyway. Blanchett’s character looks back at him with a sinister smile, which confirms to In-ho thateven though the game has ended in Korea, it is still alive and wellin the United States.
The officialSquid Game Netflix Instagramaccount posted severalSquid Gamecast members' reactions to the surprise Cate Blanchett cameo.Lee Byung-hun, who plays In-ho, says “I won’t tell,“as the scene begins, since he was the only main actor who knew of it before the series finale was released on June 24, 2025.
Other actors, such asYim Si-wan (who plays Player 333), Jo Yuri (who plays Player 222), and Kang Ae-sim (who plays Player 149), were all blown away by the cameo, along with millions of viewers at home. Lee Jung-jae, who plays Gi-hun, looks at Lee Byung-hun in the clip and asks, “Is this real?”.
What Cate Blanchett’s Squid Game Cameo Means For The Hit Netflix Franchise
Gi-hun’s Efforts Stopped The Games In His Country, But Not The Entire World
Most of theSquid Gameseason 3 cast and even the show’s biggest star, Lee Jung-jae, were stunned by Cate Blanchett’s surpriseSquid Gamecameo, just like the rest of us.Jo Yuri asks her castmates later in the clip, “Does this mean I did a series with her?”, which is undoubtedly true to some degree.
Lee Jung-jae also says, “If I had known she was coming, I would have joined them for the shoot.“Lee Byung-hun, the secret keeper, recalls the dayon set. “The traffic and crowd were hard to control. So we didn’t even get to say hi. We just shot our scenes separately.” Lee Jung-jae listens with a dropped jaw.
There’s been speculation that Cate Blanchett’sSquid Gamecameo is meant to tease theupcoming rumoredSquid Game Americaspin-off series directed by David Fincher. Although this would seem to be true, Netflix has not announced any plans to move forward withSquid Gameat this time. Series creator Hwang Gong-hyuk also confirmed he hasn’t seen or heard anything legitimate about anAmerican Squid Game.
Our Take On Cate Blanchett’s Unexpected Squid Game Cameo
It Absolutely Leaves the Door Open For An American Expansion
Blanchett’sSquid Gamecameo sent a stark message toThe Front Man, who was previously unaware that the deadly games had spread to the United States. It also ends the series on a tragic note, knowing that Gi-hun’s efforts thwarted the games in Korea, but they continue to spread around the world.
Although nothing is being confirmed at this time, Blanchett’s cameo does narratively leave the door open forSquid Game Americato happen. Whether Fincher ends up making the franchise spin-off or not, it seems incredibly likely that Netflix will revisit theSquid Gamefranchise at some point in the future.
