Steven Yeun Could Be the First Asian American Best Actor Nominee at the Oscars for ‘Minari’

October 26, 2020

The stars of the drama film “Minari” are campaigning to be considered in the top acting awards for the Oscars.

Talented cast: Steven Yeun and co-star Yeri Han will aim for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards, respectively, while Alan S. Kim, Will Patton and Yuh-Jung Youn will be looking for consideration in the supporting categories, Variety reported.

Yeun’s performance, as a Korean father who brought his family to the U.S. in the ’80s to start a life on a farm, has generated praise from critics and received audience awards following screenings at the Sundance and Middleburg film festivals.
If nominated, Yeun would be the first Asian American to ever be recognized for Best Actor.
As for the Best Actress category, only Merle Oberon, part Indian and Maori, has so far been nominated for Best Actress for 1935’s “The Dark Angel.”
In the supporting categories, Haing S. Ngor in 1984’s “The Killing Fields” and Miyoshi Umeki in 1957’s “Sayonara” were the only winners of Asian descent so far.
The film, helmed by Lee Isaac Chung, is reportedly planned to be out before the end of 2020.

First for Korean actors: Any nomination from the “Minari” lead actors will mark the first time the Academy has nominated any Korean performers in an acting category.

At the Oscars 2020, South Korean film “Parasite” received six nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing.
“Parasite” made history by winning Best Picture and with South Korean director Bong Joon Ho also taking home the Best Director award.

Featured Image Screenshots via A24

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