Actors’ Historic Win Shows Global Reach

By Jennie L. Ilustre

 

Lee Jung-jae’s historic Emmy win for Best Actor in drama for “Squid Game” spotlights one man’s exceptional achievement, and more.

 

His win adds to the world-wide, meteoric rise of South Korean talents in multi-media platforms. South Koreans have come to expect such news that they greeted his historic win with a yawn. Indeed, the media noted their subdued, jaded reaction.

But look at the big picture. This latest achievement further cements the growing reputation of Asian and Asian American artists’ versatility and global appeal. Remember “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Parasite?”

Both movies–written, directed and showcasing an all-Asian, and Asian American cast–earned serious money at the box-office. They also garnered rave reviews on a global scale.

“Parasite,” in Korean language with English subtitles, won an incredible four top Oscar awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The Oscar is Hollywood’s most prestigious award.

Soon, historic would be a forgotten word. The future also looks bright as Asians and Asian Americans open more doors, according to Christian Oh, president of D.C. APA Film and Dr. Abraham Kim, Executive Director of Council of Korean Americans.

Remarked Oh in an interview: “It truly was great timing that ‘Squid Game’ garnered even more followers with its provocative story and acting.  I feel there are more successes coming, and that the stories and development of Asian, and hopefully more Asian American voices, will continue to carry throughout the next seasons of shows and films.”

He added: “As someone who is Korean American, and currently loves the bevy of Korean dramas and movies on all of the streaming platforms, I think Lee Jung Jae’s historic win is not just an Asian and Asian American victory, but also more importantly, a win for Asians globally.”

Dr. Kim told Asian Fortune: “These historic wins are another important validation that Asian TV programming, actors, and storytelling have global appeal.”

“We hope this opens doors for more non-English programming for American audiences, and more leading opportunities for Asian American and Asian creative talents on TV, in film, and other media forms,“ he added.

 

‘Squid Game’

America’s prestigious Emmy awards recognize outstanding TV and film performances. Lee is the first actor from a non-English show to win Emmy’s Best Actor award. He’s also the first Asian male to win it.

He won for his lead role in Netflix’s hit film. He plays contestant 456 in a show where losers must die, with the sole survivor winning $4.56 million.

Accepting the award, Lee thanked “God above,” the Emmy academy, Netflix and the director for “a great script and amazing visuals,” according to CBS News. He also thanked the “Squid Game” team “and everyone watching in Korea.”

Lee has earned critical and commercial success as an actor and filmmaker in South Korea and the U.S. Among his awards include Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics’ Choice Television Award.

Lee You-mi also won the Emmy for guest actress in a drama series. She is the first Korean to win in that category.

Hwang Dong Hyuk won the Emmy for “Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.” He plans to start working on the screenplay for “Squid Game 2,” according to K! news site. But first, he must solve one problem. How on earth is he going to bring back popular cast members who died in the first season? “Squid Game 2” is on tap for a late 2023 or early 2024 release.

 

Possibilities

DC APA Film President Oh, reflecting on the heights so far scaled by amazing talents, noted: “The rise of Korean pop culture, including music, food, fashion, and film/media has been meteoric, especially when a film like ‘Parasite’ achieved many wins at the Oscars a few years back and with groups like BTS and BlackPink amassing close to a billion of fans.”

He said that along with other notable shows–such as Disney’s “SnowDrop,” Netflix’s “Narco-Saints” (with Hwang Jung Min and the other “Squid Game” actor, Park Hae Soo) as well as “Partner Track” (with Arden Cho), and NBC’s revamp of “Quantum Leap”–“the possibilities are there, and hopefully, the accolades and awards will follow along with them.”

“In short,” he concluded, “I am excited to see what comes next. It was just announced that Lee Jung Jae will be cast for a leading role in a ‘Star Wars’ production. This makes me very hopeful to see more Asian and Asian American representation on the big screen.”