Youn Yuh Jung became the first Korean actress to win British Academy Award [BAFTA] for her performance in the film Minari. Currently Korean actress's acceptance speech is going viral. The 73-year-old actress won the best Supporting Actress award at the annual EE British Academy Film Awards. The ceremony took place in London on April 11 and was broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall. Minari had earned six nominations at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film Not in the English Language.
When the announcement was made, actress Youn Yuh Jung was seen gasping in surprise. Veteran actress delivered the speech in English and expressed her shock with a hilarious speech. She also expressed her condolences for the death of Prince Philip. "I don't know how to say this, I'm very honored to be nominated—no, no, I'm the winner now. First, I'd like to express my deep condolences for your Duke of Edinburgh. Thank you so much for this award," she said.
BAFTA Acceptance Speech
She then continued her speech and shocked everyone when she referred to British people as snobbish. "Every award is meaningful, but this one especially, because I am being recognized by British people, known as very snobbish people. They approved me as a good actor, so I'm very, very privileged and happy. Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you for the voters who voted for me. Thank you very much, BAFTA," Youn Yuh Jung said.
The veteran actress has also won accolades at the 27th Screen Actor Guild (SAG) awards for her performance in Minari. She was honoured with Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at SAG award ceremony held on April 4. With this, Youn Yuh Jung created history as this was the first time a Korean actress had won this honor at the SAG awards.
Delivering her acceptance speech in English the actress had said, "I don't know how to describe my feelings. I've been recognized by Westerners. It's a very very big honor, especially [since it's] by my actor fellows who chose me as a supporting actress."
"I don't know, am I saying this right? My English is not perfect. I'm very pleased and happy. Thank you," said Youn Yuh Jung as she ended her speech on an emotional note.
Critically Acclaimed Minari Wins Accolades
Minari is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It is a story of a South Korean family that immigrates to America and tries to make a living in the rural United States in 1980s. The film has been critically acclaimed and was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020. The movie has won U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. Minari also earned six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Yeun), and Best Supporting Actress (Youn). It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Youn Yuh Jung has currently joined The King Eternal Monarch star Lee Min Ho for the shooting of trilingual Apple TV+ web series Pachinko.
