“Minari” star Youn Yuh-jung is still vying for Oscars glory, but she just won the award season with her blunt-best acceptance speech at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.
After making history at the SAG Awards for her performance as the sweet, rude-mouthed grandmother in Lee Isaac Chung’s feature film, the veteran Korean actor picked up another major accolade this weekend.
Youn confirmed her position as the front runner for the Academy Awards later this month and was crowned Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAs, virtually receiving the award from presenter David Oyelowo.
The visibly shocked star, whose career spans five decades in her homeland, began her speech by lovingly introducing herself to the public.
‘Hello, Britain! I am Korean actress Yuh-Jung Youn, ”she said, as her fellow nominees Ashley Madekwe, Dominique Fishback, Maria Bakalova, Kosar Ali and Niamh Algar watched.
“I was very honored to be nominated,” Youn continued, before immediately adjusting the statement to reflect her victory. “I’m the winner now!”
Youn expressed his condolences on the death of the Duke of Edinburgh before continuing: “Any award makes sense, but this one – mostly recognized by British people, known for being very snobbish people – and they approve of me as a good actor, so I am very, very privileged. “
The crowd immediately laughed at the “snobbish” bang, as Oyelowo seemingly fell forward.
In a press conference later, Youn explained that she drew on personal experience.
“I have visited Britain many times and I had a fellowship at Cambridge College as an actor 10 years ago,” she said with a smile, said Variety. Somehow it felt very snobbish, but not in a bad way – you [Brits] have a long history. “
She added, “As an Asian woman, I thought these people are very snobbish, that’s my honest feeling.”
Both the SAGs and BAFTAs are important Oscar bellwethers as the voting organs for all three awards overlap significantly. Youn’s wins position her favorably for victory at the Academy Awards, where voting for this year’s ceremony kicks off on Thursday.
Youn will face a different field of rivals at the Oscars, including Amanda Seyfried, Glenn Close and Olivia Colman. Still, there are now bets on Youn, who is the first South Korean woman to ever be nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.
“This has never happened in Korea, and I feel like an Olympian fighting for my country,” Youn recently told NPR of the Oscar nod. “It’s very stressful.”