Actor Lee Youmi Won Outstanding Guest Actress, First Asian Actor to Win the Emmy

The Netflix series Squid Game won 4 awards, including Guest Actress, Special Visual Effects, Stunt Performance, and Production Design at the Emmy Awards, the most prestigious award in the U.S. broadcasting industry. It is the first non-English drama that has won the Emmy Awards. 

On September 4th local time, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced on Twitter the results of the 74th Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater. At the ceremony, Squid Game was nominated for 7 sections, including Original Main Title Music, Cinematography, Single-camera Picture Editing, Production Design, Stunt Performance, Special Visual Effects, and Guest Actress. 

The first news broke when Lee Youmi won Outstanding Guest Actress. Holding the trophy in her arms after beating Hope Davis of HBO’s Succession, Marcia Gay Harden of The Morning Show, Martha Kelly of Euphoria, etc., Lee Youmi wrote a history of being the first Asian actor to win the award. The Outstanding Guest award (The award for minor roles) is given to the actors who shine as much as the main characters in each episode of the drama, and Lee Youmi played the role of ‘Jiyoung,’ the 240th participant in Squid Game. Jiyoung, a very pessimistic character, touched the viewers around the world by sacrificing herself for Saebyeok (Jeong Hoyeon). After Lee Youmi’s winning, Squid Game won Special Visual Effects, Stunt Performance, and Production Design one after another, proving its potential that swept the world with its popularity last year. 

The Emmy is the most prestigious award in the American broadcasting industry, organized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). The awards ceremony is divided into two categories: the Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Award for technical staff and cast, and the Primetime Emmy Award for actors. The Prime Time Emmy Award, which includes additional nominations for Squid Game, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture, and Best Director, will be held on the 13th in Korean time.