‘Minari’ Star Youn Yuh-jung Makes History With SAG Win for Best Supporting Actress

April 7, 2021

‘Minari’ Star Youn Yuh-jung delivered an emotional acceptance speech for her historic win on Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards show.

The 73-year-old star became the first South Korean and first Asian actress to win the Award for Best Supporting Actress in the movie category, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“I don’t know how to describe my feelings,” Youn said in her speech. “I’m being recognized by Westerners!”

She was met with support from her peers that were up for the same category, including Maria Bakalova (“Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”) and Helena Zengel (“News of the World”), according to People.

“I’m honored, especially [that my] actor fellows chose me as the supporting actress,” Youn continued. “Thank you so much, thank you, Olivia, Glenn, Maria and everybody. Thank you.”

Youn, who is already a familiar face in South Korea’s television and movie industries, was shocked to have received the role at all given her limited Hollywood experience, according to Entertainment Weekly. It was by a chance encounter with a mutual friend that she was introduced to the script.

“It was written in English, and as you know, my English is not perfect, very limited. So I was reading and I said, ‘Is it a real story, is it his life or what is it? It’s so real to me, the details,'” she recalled in a separate interview.

“Minari,” the story about a Korean family who moves to Arkansas in the hopes of living out the American Dream, was nominated for six Academy Award categories last month.

Youn also became the first South Korean actress to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the Oscars. Alongside her, co-star Steven Yeun, who played the lead father, also made history last month as the first Asian American nominee for Best Actor.

Featured Image via TNT

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