Lee Jung Jae was a guest on the JTBC "Newsroom" program on Thursday (13/1). The 1972-born actor discussed the historic achievement of "Squid Game" being nominated for the 2022 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
At the 2022 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, "Squid Game" was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series, making the drama the first non-English TV series ever. nominations.
In addition, Jung Ho Yeon was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Meanwhile, Lee Jung Jae received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.
Lee Jung Jae commented, "It's an honor. It's the kind of award I've only ever heard of through the news, so it means a lot, and I'm really happy. The actors and ensemble of 'Squid Game' as well as Jung Ho Yeon were nominated. Even our action team was nominated. so you can say that all of our actors were nominated, which means it should be a happy event."
Lee Jung Jae then revealed which award he wanted to win the most. "I want to receive the Best Ensemble Award. The Best Ensemble Award is as meaningful as the Best Film Award or Director Award, so I really want to receive it," said Lee Jung Jae.
Earlier this week, Oh Young Soo became the first Korean actor to win Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes. Lee Jung Jae commented on the achievement by saying, "He is a warm senior (actor) who really values his juniors and gives good advice."
I could really feel his depth and wisdom on set to the point where I would wonder how he prepared for each scene. I hoped to become an actor like him. When watching him carefully prepare every line and movement, I thought that I want to follow him," added Lee Jung Jae.
Lee Jung Jae also touched on the recent influence of South Korean entertainment on a global scale. "Especially after 'Parasite' and 'Minari', the level of interest in Korean culture is very high," said Lee Jung Jae.
"I feel that people abroad get hands-on experience with food and culture as well as consume and appreciate Korean content such as K-pop, movies, and dramas. People have so many questions. As a South Korean citizen, I feel very proud, and I'm just grateful," concluded Lee Jung Jae. (wk/charity)
