'Squid Game' Scores 4 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations

Netflix's blockbuster series "Squid Game" has received four Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations, making history as the first non-English-language series to be nominated for SAG trophies.

The hit nine-episode drama was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for Lee Jung-jae, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series for Jung Ho-yeon, Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

"I'm especially honored in that it's not only one or two lead actors that were recognized, but the entire ensemble was nominated, as well as the stunt ensemble, which is truly a great honor. And it's great that I'm able to thank every single one of the crew and the cast that I've worked so hard on 'Squid Game,'" director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk said, as per Variety.

Since it premiered in September 2021, "Squid Game" has become the streaming platform's most-watched show or film of all time with a total of 1.6 billion hours viewed as of November 2021.

For the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble trophy, "Squid Game" is up against "Succession," "Yellowstone," "The Morning Show" and "The Handmaid's Tale."

Meanwhile, Lee is contending with "Succession" stars Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong and "The Morning Show" actor Billy Crudup for the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor prize.

Jung, on the other hand, is competing against "The Morning Show" stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, "The Handmaid's Tale" actress Elisabeth Moss and "Succession" celeb Sarah Snook for the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series award.

While "Squid Game" became the first South Korean series to receive nominations from SAG, it was Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" that bagged the nation's first-ever SAG trophy when it won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in 2020.

Lee said in an interview with Deadline that Korean content is peaking, thanks to the right blend of visionary directors and capable industry members.

"I think we are at a point where the quality of Korean content has improved greatly based on a lot of talented directors and all of the crew that are involved. Now, anywhere in the world you can enjoy high-quality Korean content in terms of its entertainment value and the way it is visually appealing. As an actor, I can only hope that this love for Korean content will only grow stronger and continue," he told the outlet.

"Squid Game" also created a buzz earlier this week after Oh Young-soo, who plays Oh Il-nam, also known as The Host or Player 001, won the Best Supporting Actor Award for Television at the 2022 Golden Globes. South Korean President Moon Jae-in even congratulated the actor and praised the series' entire cast and crew for "raising nation's status" after the win.