Oscar winner Yuh-Jung Youn could add an Emmy to her collection thanks to ‘Pachinko’
A year after winning awards from the Oscars, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA, Yuh-Jung Youn might be back to claim some more trophies. The “Minari” scene-stealer stars in the new Apple TV+ series “Pachinko,” an epic family saga based on the novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee. The series tracks the story of Sunja through the many decades of her life, from growing up in Japan-occupied Korea after the turn of the 20th century to her older years in the 1980s. Youn plays older Sunja, a woman haunted by her past as she lives out her twilight years, delivering a performance that has already been raved by critics.
“Pachinko” currently sits at a perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 94 on Metacritic ahead of its March 25 premiere. Youn is being singled out as one of the drama’s best performers, with critics praising the Oscar winner as “truly stunning” and “quiet but powerful,” acknowledging her unique ability to “convey the polar extremes of the material’s sadness and ebullience.” As many critics note, while the book is broken up into three parts, moving sequentially through Sunja’s life, the series deftly bounces between each era, making Youn a consistent presence throughout.
SEE Yuh-Jung Youn becomes just the second Asian actress to win an Oscar with ‘Minari’
With Youn’s name recognition and these kinds of raves, she will likely be in the Emmy conversation this summer, especially if the series takes off with audiences. Super early Emmy odds have Youn already in 12th place for a nomination in Best Drama Supporting Actress before the show has even premiered. If she gets the nomination, she would be the latest in a growing trend of Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners landing Emmy bids not long after, including Laura Dern, Regina King, Allison Janney and Viola Davis.
An Emmy nomination would also speak to another rapidly rising trend of non-English language shows finding acclaim in the U.S. “Squid Game” just earned two individual SAG Award wins for Korean stars Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-Yeon, both of whom are expected to earn Emmy nominations this year. The Critics Choice Awards just added a new category, Best Foreign Language Series, where “Squid Game” was honored alongside other popular shows like “Acapulco,” “Lupin” and “Narcos: Mexico.” If “Pachinko” finds similar popularity after accruing that unanimous critical praise, it is likely that Youn will be recognized for her affecting work yet again.
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