Netflix's biggest original series Squid Game continues its streak of winning awards after breaking a bunch of records since its release. On Sunday evening, the Korean dystopian drama won big at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards and managed to take home three statuettes, or The Actors.
The extremely popular Netflix series was nominated for a total of four categories, including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble, and Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series. Squid Game managed to secure the first three nominated categories, but lost to Succession in the latter.
Lee Jung-jae, who played the role of the protagonist Seong Gi-hun, was recognized for his performance in the Korean thriller. Even though he was up against the likes of Succession stars Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Strong, along with The Morning Show's Billy Crudup, he easily took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. The surprised actor spoke to the crowd through a translator and informed them that he had written a speech, but he didn’t think he would be able to read it. He ended up thanking everyone present, the fans of the series, and his Squid Game team.
Following in Lee;s footsteps was co-star Jung Ho-yeon, who portrayed the role of Kang Sae-byeok and won The Actor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. She defeated Succession star Sarah Snook, The Handmaid's Tale's Elisabeth Moss, and The Morning Show's Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. She got emotional the minute she walked up to the microphone. With the help of a translator, she spoke to the actors present and told them how she grew up watching them on the big screen and dreamed of becoming an actor herself. “Thank you for making my dream come true and opening the door for me,” she said.
Squid Game secured the most-viewed original Netflix series spot within less than a month of its release. While the series premiered on September 17, Netflix confirmed on October 13 that it had been viewed by 111 million households since launch, making it the most consumed show upon launch on the streaming service.
The series told the story of 456 contestants who were forced to participate in rather violent games, and the last one to survive would win billions of Korean won as prize money. A second season of Squid Game has been confirmed already.
Squid Game is streaming on Netflix.
Source: SAG Awards/Twitter