Squid Game star Hoyeon Jung won her first Screen Actors Guild Award last night. The breakout actress and model triumphed in the Female Actor in a Drama Series category, where Jennifer
Aniston (The Morning Show), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Sarah Snook (Succession), and Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) were also nominated.
Jung was teary-eyed but smiling during her acceptance speech. Speaking via a translator, she praised the other performers at the ceremony, saying, “First and foremost, thank you so much. I have sat many a time watching you on the big screen, dreaming of one day becoming an actor. I just want to say thank you so much.” She also thanked her fellow actors for “[making] me dream and [opening] the door for me.” Then she followed up with an enthusiastic shout-out to her co-stars: “I love you my Squid Game crew!” she exclaimed to their table, raising her arms.
Squid Game ultimately won in three categories last night, including Male Actor in a Drama Series for lead actor Lee Jung-jae and Stunt Ensemble. The show makes history as the first non-English-language series, and the first from Korea, to win at the SAGs, per Deadline.
Jung Ho-Yeon receives her first-ever Actor® for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her role in #SquidGame#sagawardspic.twitter.com/PJAHCavDni
— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) February 28, 2022
Jung, 27, carved out a successful modeling career before landing her first major acting role in Netflix’s Squid Game, which premiered worldwide in September. To add to the impressive feat, she’s one of the youngest winners ever in her SAG category, following Gillian Anderson, who was just 51 days younger when she won for X-Files in 1996, according to GoldDerby.
Jung was feeling grateful even before the Sunday night ceremony began. As she arrived on the red carpet, she said attending SAG Awards felt “undescribable” and reflected on her meteoric rise. “You know it’s just, it’s been so quick so I can’t really digest this feeling and life and everything,” she said, per People. “It’s just such an honor to be here and to be nominated with my Squid Game members.”
Jung looked impossibly elegant in a custom Louis Vuitton look (she’s an ambassador for the brand). She dazzled in a black spaghetti-strap silk dress hand-embroidered with crystals and silver beads, which she paired with black satin sandals, white gold earrings, and a white gold ring featuring a sapphire and diamonds. The end of her sleek, long braid was tied by a piece of fabric that matched her dress, which was inspired by the daenggi, a traditional Koreanhair ribbon, to honor her home country.