ELLE Exclusive: Lee Byung-hun Breaks Down The Enigma Of The Front Man In 'Squid Game' Season 3

Lee Byung-hun knows how to hold a room—even when half his face is hidden behind a sleek black mask. As the enigmatic Front Man in 'Squid Game' Season 3, he delivers menace with a whisper and commands authority with unnerving calm. What started as a brief cameo has now evolved into one of the show’s most pivotal roles. Cold, calculating, and morally ambiguous, the Front Man is no longer just an observer—he’s a player in every sense. And with Season 3 now streaming, Byung-hun peels back a few layers of the mystery, revealing how deep the character’s scars go and why some villains are made, not born.

The Front Man has always been a mystery—mask on, motives murky, and loyalties even murkier. When I asked what drew Lee Byung-hun to the role, especially considering how little is initially revealed about the character, he admitted he was a bit perplexed himself. “The Front Man was behind a mask and had lost all trust in humanity and society. But we didn’t know why,” he said. Since ‘Squid Game’ was initially pitched as a limited series, his role began as a cameo. But once things expanded, so did the complexity. To bridge the gaps, Byung-hun and director Hwang Dong-hyuk sat down to map out the Front Man’s past, a backstory never shown on screen, but one that deeply informed his performance.

And who doesn’t love a backstory, especially when viewers try to decode the enigma? “In Season 2, the Front Man talks about his past under disguise. People might understand him a little,” Byung-hun reflects. “But even if you know why he turned out this way, it doesn’t mean he’s forgivable. He’s gone too far. He might be a victim of the system, but he’s a perpetrator, too.” It’s that uncomfortable grey zone that makes him so creepy—at once a puppet and a master, a villain and a victim.

A puppet and a master, a villain and a victim.

Last season, we also witnessed him leave his camera room and enter the arena, joining the games as a player. A calculated observer, keeping a close eye on Gi-hun and potentially intervening if things spiralled out of control. So does he fear the game? Not quite. “He knows what to expect. Any moments where he looks nervous or surprised… that’s all acting. He’s physically fit and fully in control,” Byung-hun insists. That said, he did have fun playing along. “My favourite part was the pentathlon, the six-legged game. It was tough to shoot, but it was also a lot of fun. I kept pretending to fail the spin top using my right hand, even though I’m good at it, just to mess with the others. It created tension, but also laughter.”

Apart from all the games he played last season, what truly had fans hooked was the chemistry between the Front Man and Gi-hun. When asked about it, Byung-hun chuckles, “Lee Jung-jae and I have known each other for a long time, but surprisingly, we’d never actually shared screen time until now.” The connection, however, was electric. Talking about the rest of the cast, he says, “It felt completely natural. Working with the younger cast was just as rewarding; they each brought a distinct energy and style. Honestly, I found myself learning from them, too.”