Oscar Nominee Youn Yuh-jung "Feeling Dazed... Celebrating Alone with a Drink"

Oscar Nomination Was "Just a Story from Another World"
Drama 'Pachinko' Wraps Filming, Returns Home on the 15th for Self-Quarantine "Celebrating with Manager"

Youn Yuh-jung

"I never even dreamed of this." This is the sentiment of Youn Yuh-jung, the first Korean actor to be nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on the 15th (Korean time) that Youn was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards.

Youn stood shoulder to shoulder with Maria Bakalova from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Amanda Seyfried from Mank, Olivia Colman from The Father, and Glenn Close from Hillbilly Elegy. She had previously won thirty-two Best Supporting Actress trophies, surpassing these contenders, from organizations such as the National Board of Review and the Hollywood Critics Association.

However, in an interview with the Associated Press on the 16th, she described the Oscar nomination as "just a story from another world" for her. "My manager had a more emotional reaction than I did to the news of the nomination. I was also stunned," she said, adding, "I just hugged my manager and stayed in the living room."

Youn is the fourth Asian actor to be nominated in this category. Previously recognized Asian actors include Miyoshi Umeki (for Sayonara in 1957), Shohreh Aghdashloo (for House of Sand and Fog in 2003), and Rinko Kikuchi (for Babel in 2007). Umeki also won the award.

Youn boasts a career as impressive as theirs. She won Best Actress at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain for her film debut Woman of Fire (1971). She walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival three times with The Housemaid (2010), The Taste of Money (2012), and In Another Country (2011). Since portraying Eonnyeo in the 1995 drama Your Voice, she has showcased a diverse range of elderly roles, expanding the scope of Korean cinema.

Youn had been filming the Apple TV Plus drama Pachinko in Vancouver, Canada, and returned to Korea on the 15th. She received the Oscar nomination news from her manager upon arrival. "I found out about the Oscar nomination just an hour after arriving at the airport," she said. "My manager is much younger than me, and while browsing the internet, suddenly said, 'Wow, you’ve been nominated.' My manager cried, but I did not."

Youn cannot fully celebrate with friends and acquaintances due to the quarantine period required for COVID-19 prevention. She said, "Everyone would want to come here, but since there’s no way to come, I will celebrate with my manager." She added, "My manager cannot drink at all. I will have to drink alone."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.