“Beef” has continued its roll on the awards circuit as the hit Netflix show recently bagged two best acting awards for lead stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Wong’s win: Wong, 41, won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday. She beat Uzo Aduba for “Painkiller,” Kathryn Han for “Tiny Beautiful Things,” Brie Larson for “Lessons in Chemistry” and Bel Powly for “A Small Light.”
In her acceptance speech, Wong spoke about her mother, Tam “Tammy” Wong, who was with her at the event, saying, “I want to thank my 83-year-old mother, who’s here tonight in her pearls and her Tevas because she doesn’t give a f*ck.”
“I know it was really hard when I told you I wanted to do stand-up comedy. I hope you feel like it’s all worked out,” she added, referencing her start in the entertainment industry as a stand-up comedian before becoming a breakout actor.
Yeun’s win: Meanwhile, Yeun, 40, won the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or limited series by beating nominees Matt Bomer for “Fellow Travelers,” Jon Hamm for “Fargo,” David Oyelowo for “Lawman: Bass Reeves” and Tony Shaloub for “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.”
Thanking his family in his acceptance speech, including his mother, father and his photographer wife, Joana Pak, Yeun reminisced about the time when he first got his SAG-AFTRA membership card, recalling, “I was reminded outside about the first job that I had that got me my SAG card, and it was being in a vat of fake caramel, wriggling around in a Speedo for a Milky Way commercial.”
“And honestly, I felt just as hyped to get that card then, as I am to receive this here now,” he continued.
“Beef” acclaim: “Beef,” created and directed by Lee Sung-jin, also received a nomination for outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a television series, but the award was given to HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Other nominees in the category included “Ahsoka,” “Barry” and “The Mandalorian.”
The SAG Award wins for Wong and Yeun come on the heels of other major award wins for “Beef” and its cast, notably at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Jan. 16, the 29th Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 14 and the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 8.
