Cate Blanchett reflects on her 'Squid Game' cameo, talks about returning for a possible English spin-off

Mint

2 days ago

It's been a while since the final season of 'Squid Game' hit Netflix, but one moment continues to dominate fan discussions: Cate Blanchett's unexpected cameo.
The Oscar-winning actress made a brief appearance in the season's closing scene as a mysterious American recruiter, spotted playing the traditional Korean game ddakji with a homeless man in a back alley. Her presence was acknowledged by the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), sparking countless theories about her character's place in the 'Squid Game' universe.
At the time of filming, Blanchett revealed she was given almost no context for the role. 'Because it's such a cult series and they were shooting in L.A. of all places, everyone was on a need-to-know basis,' she recalls. She didn't even do a costume fitting; the production asked her to bring her own suit.
'I got a couple of storyboards. I had to [learn to] play the game very quickly. I had to practice and practice. I knew there were four or five setups that they were going to do, and I knew what they needed from every shot, and then I was given the sides. But it was one of the more mysterious jobs.'
Though only on screen for a few seconds, Blanchett's cameo caused a stir online, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about moments of the season. Fans praised her for slipping so seamlessly into the dark world of 'Squid Game', and many still speculate that her character could be part of a future spin-off or international expansion of the series.
Blanchett has remained open to the idea. 'I am wildly open to anything And in a world that is so beautifully, magically created like that, for sure. They're amazing world-builders, and that series has been eaten alive. I don't think there's a corner of the globe that it hasn't touched in some way,' she said when asked about returning.
While Squid Game has always been full of twists, Blanchett's subtle but powerful cameo proved that sometimes, even the quietest moments leave the biggest mark.