Squid Game’s Historic Wins at the 28th SAG Awards
Lee Jung-Jae and Jung Ho-Yeon take home major acting awards at the SAG Awards, making history as the first actors from a non-English language and Korean show to win in the history of the ceremony.
Following in the footsteps of Bong Joon-ho’s cult-favourite film ‘Parasite’, ‘Squid Game’ has gone on to make history for Korean entertainment in Hollywood. At the 28th SAG Awards earlier this morning, actors Lee Jung-Jae and Jung Ho-Yeon won Best Actor and Best Actress in A Drama Series respectively, marking them as the first actors from a non-English speaking television show to win in their respective categories. The drama also won in an untelevised category for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series.
This is not the first time the ‘Squid Game’ cast won big at Hollywood’s most illustrious acting awards. Just last year, actor O Yeong-su also made a historic win at the 79th Golden Globes, taking home the Best Supporting Actor title and becoming the first Korean actor to ever win a Golden Globe.
“In Korea, we also have a small award that’s given to you by your fellow actors in Korea and that’s very highly coveted,” says Lee when discussing the importance of their nomination in Korea before the ceremony started. “Every actor wants to receive that award. To be here for an award session that’s voted on by American actors, we’re extremely humbled and extremely happy to be here.”
Jung also emphasised how much the win meant to her during her speech, thanking her fellow actors present for influencing her to join the industry through their past work. “I have sat many a time watching you on the big screen dreaming of one day becoming an actor,” says the emotional ‘Player 67’ actor. “Thank you for making me dream and opening the doors for me.”
With these game-changing wins, it is clear that the entertainment industry and enthusiasts are getting more and more interested in consuming foreign media, particularly Korean content. “I think it’s just the beginning,” says Lee in a question and answer segment after winning his award. “There is a lot of amazing Korean content that’s just as entertaining and touching as ‘Squid Game’, so I ask that you’ll look out for them, show them a lot of love, and continue to watch a lot of great Korean content.”
One thing’s for sure – films and shows like ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game’ have only paved the way for more foreign entertainment to gain their rightful recognition from the industry. All we need to do now is give the others a chance to shine.
