“The Squid Game,” star, O Yeong-su, has made history by becoming the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe.
The 77-year-old South Korean actor, who plays Oh II-nam, also known as Player 001, in the hit Netflix series, won the Best Supporting Actor in Television award on Sunday, beating out Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”), Kieran Culkin (“Succession”), Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”), and Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”), among others.
His victory was announced in a private ceremony that was streamed live on the internet, with no celebrity presenters or speeches.
Following controversy over a lack of diversity among Hollywood Foreign Press Association membership and other ethical questions related to financial benefits, organizers announced that this year’s Golden Globes would be a scaled-down affair.
“O Yeong-su wins Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or Television Movie! While O Yeong-su is a respected stage actor in his native South Korea, his Globe nod is his first ever nomination in a major awards show,” the Golden Globes published on its website.
O’s “Squid Game ” cast mate Lee Byung-hun congratulated him on Instagram, saying, “Bravo!”
His triumph marks the first time a Korean TV drama or actor has been nominated and won a Golden Globe.
“Squid Game” — created by Hwang Dong-hyuk — is a dystopian series in which contestants in desperate need of money play deadly children’s games to win cash prizes.
Back in October, Netflix confirmed the show was its “biggest-ever series at launch” following its debut on September 17.
In the wake of the drama’s massive success, Hwang and Netflix confirmed that there are discussions about a second season but that one had not yet been confirmed.
O revealed in an interview on South Korean TV in September that his life had changed significantly since appearing on the show.
“I feel like I’m in the air. So I’m trying to calm myself down now so I can restrain myself,” he said, adding: “When I go to cafes or other places, I become self-conscious. Being a famous actor was hard too.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
