'Squid Game' Cast Makes History As First Asians To Win SAG Trophies

The cast of Netflix’s blockbuster drama “Squid Game” has made history as the first Asians to be awarded SAG trophies for their performance in the popular dystopian drama.

The drama’s lead actor, Lee Jung-Jae, won the coveted Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama series. Similarly, Jung Ho-Yeon won the trophy for the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama series.

The series also snagged the Outstanding Action Performance by a stunt ensemble in a television series, beating out other contenders such as “Cobra Kai,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki” and “Mare of Easttown.”

The official Twitter page of SAG Awards tweeted a clip of Lee accepting the trophy Sunday, and wrote, “His reaction says it all ♥ ️ Lee Jung-Jae takes home the Actor® for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series!”

“Oh my. Thank you so much,” a visibly excited Lee said as he accepted the award at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. “This is truly huge. I wrote something, but I don’t think I can read it. Thank you so much, SAG Awards. Thank you to the global audience for all of your love for ‘Squid Game,’ and thank you ‘Squid Game’ team!”

SAG also tweeted a clip of Jung accepting her first SAG trophy and wrote, “Jung Ho-Yeon receives her first-ever Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her role in #SquidGame.”

Jung wiped away as she approached the stage to accept her award. She said, “First and foremost, thank you so much. I have sat many times watching you on the big screen dreaming of one day becoming an actor. I just wanna say thank you so much.Thank you for making me dream and opening the door for me. I love you my ‘Squid Game’ crew!”

For the award, Lee went up against Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin for “Succession” and Billy Crudup for “The Morning Show.”

Meanwhile, Jung faced off with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon for “The Morning Show,” Elisabeth Moss for “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Sarah Snook for “Succession.”

“Squid Game” was originally nominated for four awards, including Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama series, which eventually went to “Succession.”