Youn, Yuh-Jung

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      Yuh-Jung Youn Nabs Historic Oscar Win for 'Minari'

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      After the Korean actress Yuh-Jung Youn’s delightfully hilarious BAFTA acceptance speech earlier this month, the Academy gave the 73-years-young “Minari” grandmother the chance to deliver another Sunday night when it selected her as its best supporting actress. It is the first time a Korean actress has ever won an acting Oscar.“I don’t believe in competition, how can I win over Glenn Close?” Youn said in her acceptance speech. “Tonight, I have just a little bit luck, I think, maybe. I’m luckier than you. And also maybe it’s American hospitality for the Korean actor. I’m not sure. But anyway, thank you so much.”Youn triumphed as the grandmother in Lee Isaac Chung’s film about a family from South Korea who takes up farming near the Ozarks. The film is named for the leafy green vegetable popular in Korean cooking. Our critic A.O. Scott called it “in its circumspect, gentle way, moving and downright revelatory.” Scott classed Youn as a sly scene-stealer but noted that is “also true of her character, who infuses her daughter’s home with mischief, folk wisdom and mostly unspoken memories of war, poverty and other hardship.”She also thanked her two grown sons, who she said “make me go out and work. … This is the result, because mommy worked so hard.”This was Youn’s first nomination, and, until recent weeks, an invite to speechify on the film industry’s biggest stage was far from a sure thing. One of her biggest foes might have been the 74-year-old Glenn Close, who’s now been nominated eight times without a single statuette (can we give her an honorary Oscar yet?). But after Youn’s SAG Award win and smile-inducing BAFTA speech earlier this month that thanked British voters — whom she labeled “very snobbish” people — for selecting her, the race was hers to lose.She didn’t repeat her BAFTA roast, but she did offer a kindly zinger Sunday night.“As you know, I’m from Korea, and my name is Yuh-Jung Youn — most of European people call me Yuh Youn and some call me Yuh-Jung,” she said. “But tonight, you are all forgiven.” More

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      Independent Spirit Awards Continue ‘Nomadland’ Winning Streak

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      Meanwhile, Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) and Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) won lead acting trophies.Three years ago, as she accepted a best-actress trophy for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” at the Independent Spirit Awards, Frances McDormand mentioned all the people she hoped to work with next. Then she peered at someone in the audience. “Chloé?” she said.Few knew it then, but she was singling out the director Chloé Zhao, who had been celebrated earlier at the ceremony for her second film, “The Rider.” At that time, McDormand had just met with Zhao about directing a small independent feature McDormand planned to produce and star in. And on Thursday night, the film they made together, “Nomadland,” won top honors at this year’s Independent Spirit Awards.That continues the gentle road drama’s juggernaut journey through awards season, where it has taken nearly every major award available, including top honors from the Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and the Golden Globes. It enters the Oscars on Sunday as the decided favorite.Zhao also won the Independent Spirit Award for best director, becoming the fourth woman ever to do so. If she wins at the Oscars, as she’s expected to, she will become only the second woman to take that trophy since “The Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow in 2010.Some other Oscar favorites also triumphed at the Independent Spirit Awards. Supporting-actress front-runner Yuh-Jung Youn won for “Minari,” while “Promising Young Woman” filmmaker Emerald Fennell picked up another award for her screenplay.But some perpetually on-the-verge contenders finally got a high-profile victory here, including Carey Mulligan, who won the best-actress award for “Promising Young Woman” and dedicated it to the British actress Helen McCrory, who died this month. That Oscar category remains wide open: McDormand won the BAFTA award, Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) won the SAG award, and Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) won the Golden Globe.“Sound of Metal” star Riz Ahmed triumphed in the best-actor category, where he was up against actor Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), who died last year. Ahmed’s costar Paul Raci earned a win in the supporting-actor category. That’s a major victory for Raci, a 72-year-old actor who had been working as a court interpreter for the deaf for decades before he found his breakthrough role.“I’ve been a day player for thirty years here in Hollywood,” Raci said in his acceptance speech, “and I have one little piece of advice I can give to all of you people who are struggling here: Don’t quit your day job. I never did. I still have it, too!”The ceremony was held virtually and hosted by comedian Melissa Villaseñor. For a full list of winners, click here. More

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      SAG Awards Go to ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7,’ Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis

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      Daniel Kaluuya and Yuh-Jung Youn took supporting actor honors. On the TV side, “The Crown” and “Schitt’s Creek” won top honors.Aaron Sorkin’s courtroom drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7” finally notched a significant award-season victory Sunday night, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast in a motion picture.Over the last decade, five of the films that won SAG’s top prize went on to take the best-picture Oscar, including last year, when a big win for “Parasite” gave it a gust of momentum going into the Academy Awards. After “The Trial of the Chicago 7” lost the Golden Globe for best drama to “Nomadland” and the Writers Guild Award for original screenplay to “Promising Young Woman,” the film’s triumph at the SAG Awards could give it a similar jolt.Two men who’ve been sweeping the season continued to steamroll at SAG: The late Chadwick Boseman won the best-actor award for his work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while “Judas and the Black Messiah” star Daniel Kaluuya won the supporting-actor trophy.The actress and supporting-actress races have been more suspenseful this season, and SAG delivered two notable victories in the form of best-actress winner Viola Davis for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Minari” scene-stealer Yuh-Jung Youn, who won the supporting-actress award.Last year, all four SAG acting winners went on to repeat at the Oscars. If that happens this year, it will be the first time that all the acting Oscars were won by people of color. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” would also become the first film since “As Good as It Gets” (1997) to win both the best-actor and best-actress Oscars — though unlike that film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” missed out on a best-picture nomination. (“As Good as It Gets” lost that prize to “Titanic.”)In the television categories, “Schitt’s Creek” and “The Crown” continued their award-season dominance, winning the comedy and drama categories, respectively.Here is a complete list of winners:FilmOutstanding Cast: “The Trial of the Chicago 7”Actor in a Leading Role: Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”Actress in a Leading Role: Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”Actress in a Supporting Role: Yuh-Jung Youn, “Minari”Actor in a Supporting Role: Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah”Stunt Ensemble in a Movie: “Wonder Woman 1984”TelevisionEnsemble in a Drama Series: “The Crown”Actor in a Drama Series: Jason Bateman, “Ozark”Actress in a Drama Series: Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”Ensemble in a Comedy Series: “Schitt’s Creek”Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”Actress in a Comedy Series: Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”Actor in a TV movie or limited series: Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”Actress in a TV movie or limited series: Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series: “The Mandalorian” More