Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon was one of the most high-profile winners Sunday at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards, which were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The 27-year-old actress was overcome with emotion and shed some tears as she took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for the Netflix show.
Jung Ho-Yeon costar Lee Jung-jae won his own acting prize for Male Actor in a Drama series just minutes before she took the stage, though the show lost out to HBO’s dramedy Succession for the outstanding ensemble in a drama series award. The shocking thriller series takes place in a dystopian near-future in which South Koreans suffering from crippling debt enter a contest to play children’s games for money prizes.
But the contestants soon realize that the game is more sinister than they imagined, as the losers are executed by armed guards, while each death adds more money to the eventual jackpot. Jung appears on the capitalism critique as a North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, who hopes to win the game so that she can use the money to rescue her parents.
Her win was clearly an emotional moment for her, as her eyes weld up with tears at the podium. Speaking through a translator, she said: ‘First and foremost, thank you so much. I have sat many times watching you on the big screen, dreaming of one day becoming an actor. I just want to say thank you so much.’ She then switched to English to tell the show’s crew: ‘I love you!’
Jung won out against an impressive field including The Morning Show’s Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Succession actress Sarah Snook. Her costar Lee Jung-jae declared his victory over Succession stars Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin, and The Morning Show’s Billy Crudup to be ‘truly huge.’
ALSO READ – Squid Game Becomes FIRST Non-English Language TV Show To Be Nominated For A SAG Award