“Minari” star Youn Yuh-jung is still competing for Oscar glory, but has just won the awards season with his acceptance speech in the best way at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.
After making history at the SAG Awards for his portrayal as an adorable and greedy mouthpiece in Lee Isaac Chung’s feature film, the veteran Korean actor garnered another big acclaim over the weekend.
Cementing her position as the Academy Awards leader later this month, Youn was crowned Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAs, where she received the award from virtually presenter David Oyelowo.
The visibly shocked star, whose career spans five decades in his home country, began his speech by sweetly introducing himself to the crowd.
“Hello, Britain! I’m Korean actress Yuh-Jung Youn, ”she said, as they watched her fellow nominees Ashley Madekwe, Dominique Fishback, Maria Bakalova, Kosar Ali and Niamh Algar.
“I was very honored to be nominated,” Youn continued before immediately modifying the statement to reflect his victory. “Now I’m the winner!”
Youn expressed his condolences for the death of the Duke of Edinburgh before continuing: “Every award is significant, but this one – especially recognized by the British, known as very snobbish people – and I am approved as a good actor, so I am very, very privileged. “
The crowd immediately began to laugh at the “snobbish” crack, with Oyelowo seemingly passionate.
At a press conference later, Youn explained that he was drawing from personal experience.
“I visited Britain many times and had a scholarship to Cambridge College ten years ago, as an actor,” he said with a smile, according to Variety. “Somehow he felt very snobbish, but not in a bad way: you [Brits] they have a long history. “
She added, “As an Asian woman, I felt like these people were very snobbish, that’s my sincere feeling.”
Both the SAG and the BAFTA are the key wizards of the Oscars, as the voting bodies of the three awards overlap significantly. Youn’s victories position her favorably by winning the Oscars, where voting for this year’s ceremony begins on Thursday.
Youn will face a field of rivals other than the Oscars, including Amanda Seyfried, Glenn Close and Olivia Colman. Still, the bets are now on Youn, who is the first South Korean woman to be nominated for an Oscar in an actor category.
“This has never happened in Korea and I feel like an Olympian competing for my country,” Youn told NPR recently about the head coach. “It’s very stressful.”