Netflix’s Squid Game has continued its reign over pop culture. With its cast dominating the small screen and the runway, it’s no surprise that Squid Game made history with nominations at the 79th Golden Globes. The 2022 ceremony was a private event and not live-streamed—instead, audiences could follow the wins online, on the Golden Globes website, and its social media.
O Yeong-su Nabs Best Supporting Actor, Television
Actor O Yeong-su, known to audiences as the elderly contestant Old Man/Oh Il-Nam in Squid Game, took home the trophy for Best Supporting Actor – Television. The win marks him as the first Korean man to win in the history of the ceremony. O was in good company in the category, beating out The Morning Show actors Mark Duplass and Billy Crudup, Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso, and Succession star Kieran Culkin.
Fans of O’s performance in Squid Game can find him in The Great Queen Seondeok (2009), Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (2003), and Little Monk (2002). Fans of the series were quick to celebrate the landmark achievement online.
Making Moves for Non-English Content
Lee Jung-Jae, who played the series’ lead Song Gi-hun, was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama, but ultimately lost to Succession’s Jeremy Strong. Alongside other shows such as Lupin, The Morning Show, Pose, and Succession, the K-drama was nominated for the Best Television Series, Drama category, but the award went to HBO’s Succession, one of the year’s most prolific and popular series.
Historically, the Golden Globes have been one of film and television’s premier awards ceremonies and an aspirational achievement for creatives in the industry. But like many ceremonies of its nature, it has been critiqued for its limited diversity–most notably in the case of Minari’s foreign-language film nomination. In July, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that it would allow films not in the English language and animated films to be nominated in its other categories.
To some, the success of Squid Game, Parasite, and the Hallyu wave is a testament that Western audiences can be just as receptive to high-quality global content as domestic or English-speaking content. While a small step, the inclusion of Squid Game and its cast, in significant categories, suggests the Golden Globes are moving in the right direction.
Congratulations to O and all of the other winners of the 79th Golden Globe Awards!
Looking for something new to watch? Check out EnVi’s overview on iQiyi’s new C-drama, Luoyang, here!
