‘Squid Game’ Lee Jung-jae and Hoyeon Jung Left Baffled by Interviewer’s ‘Ignorant’ Question
Squid Game continues its path of success at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards. The global Netflix Korean drama was nominated in four categories at the awards show. It took home three wins. Actors HoYeon Jung and Lee Jung-jae won Female Actor in a Drama Series and Male Actor in a Drama Series. After the shock of their win, the two actors went backstage for press interviews. Squid Game’s Lee and Jung were stunned by an interviewer’s seemingly innocent yet “ignorant” question.
Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung make SAG Award history with ‘Squid Game’
The Netflix K-drama is the first non-English language series to be nominated at the SAG Awards. It is also Lee and Jung’s first-ever SAG nominations. The two South Korean actors made history as the first Koreans to win in their categories. Lee won against Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, and Billy Crudup.
Winning the award left Lee stunned and ditched his prepared speech. His Squid Game co-star Jung took home Female Actor in a Drama Series, winning against Elisabeth Moss, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Snook, and Reese Witherspoon.
Some of the main cast of Squid Game, like Anupam Tripathi and Kim Joo-ryoung congratulated their wins. As Lee and Jung relish in their first SAG Award wins, they faced an unwelcome press question backstage.
Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung were short with their interview response
Like every award show, the winners take a breath to answer press questions in a backstage interview. Lee and Jung were still smiling and shocked by their wins. Access Hollywood asked the two actors a question that fans and the public see as “ignorant.”
“Now that you’re SAG winners, what are you going to miss the most about being anonymous?” asked an Access Hollywood reporter. After Lee and Jung’s translator interpreted the question in Korean, Jung looked slightly baffled by the type of question and quickly answered, “Nothing.”
Lee could not help but laugh at Jung’s response before moving on. Koreaboo comments this is not the first time interviewers have not done their homework, especially concerning the cast of Squid Game. The actors in the coveted K-drama are, by many fan accounts, not “anonymous.”
‘Squid Game’ Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung are one of Korea’s top actors and models
According to some fans, the question by the Access Hollywood reporter was ill-planned. The question disregarded Lee’s history as one of South Korea’s most prominent actors. While Squid Game may have skyrocketed Lee and the cast to more global fame, it does not go without saying that Lee already had a presence with international audiences.
Lee’s career dates back to 1993 in an SBS TV show and his first film in 1994. He became a household name starring in the movies The Housemaid, Big Match, Assassination, Svaha: The Sixth Finger, and more. He starred in the K-dramas Air City, Chief of Staff, and a cameo in Dramaworld 2.
While Squid Game was Jung’s first-ever role as a new actor, she too is a well-recognized name in Korea. She gained her fame as a top model walking the runway for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton. Jung has also graced the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, Love, W, and Vogue.
