Squid Game season 3 ending explained: who is actor in final scene of Netflix show - where you know her from?

• Squid Game season 3 released on Netflix on June 27.
• The show comes to a conclusion after nearly 4 years.
• But what did the final scene mean?

Squid Game has played its final game on Netflix - at least in its original form. The blockbuster show returned for its third and last season this month.

The story of Player 456 and his quest to shut down the titular games has come to a brutal and tragic conclusion. However the final scene might have left some viewers scratching their heads.

Join NationalWorld Today - join our newsletter - morning headlines dropped into your email.

Squid Game first debuted back in 2021 and quickly took the world by storm - becoming Netflix’s biggest hit at the time. The third and final season was released on June 27.

Squid Game season three ending explained

Full spoilers for Squid Game on Netflix - up to and including season three. Don’t read further if you haven’t watched the last episode.

Having made it all the way to the end of Squid Game back in season one - winning the huge prize money - Player 456 set out on a quest to shut down the titular games. It saw him return after finding the recruiter at the start of season two, after years of searching.

In the final game of the season, Gi-hun chooses to sacrifice himself - leaving the baby as the winner of Squid Game. The island self-destructs, but In-ho saves the baby and the VIP’s escape - Jun-ho and No-eul also get away before it explodes.

In-ho travels to Los Angeles to give Gi-hun’s daughter his Player 456 jumpsuit and to inform her of his death. After leaving, he spots an American recruiter playing ddakji with a man in an alley - implying that the games exist in other parts of the world as well.

It is possible that this is a brief bit of set-up for the American adaptation that is in the works, which was reported to be in the works in late 2024 by Deadline. Mindhunter’s David Fincher is attached to the English-language series - but no further details have been announced.

Who is the actor in the final scene?

For audiences outside of South Korea, Gong Yoo who played The Recruiter might not have been a household name - unless they had watched Train to Busan. However to Korean audiences he was certainly a recognisable face having starred in hit shows like Coffee Prince and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.

The final scene shows an American version of the recruiter playing ddakji with a person in an alley. Like Gong Yoo in the first season, a household name plays this recruiter - in the form of Cate Blanchett.

The Oscar-winning actor has had many iconic roles over the years from playing Queen Elizabeth in 1998’s Elizabeth and its 2007 sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. She also played Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings movies - and was also in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

British audiences may of course remember her from her cameo in Hot Fuzz - playing the ex-girlfriend of Simon Pegg’s character. In 2022 she received widespread acclaim for her role in the film Tar - for which she received her eighth Oscar nom.

If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film. What did you think of Squid Game’s ending? Let me know by email: [email protected].