'Minari' actress Yuh-Jung Youn says ‘it's stressful’ to be first Korean actress nominated for an Oscar
Youn Yuh-jung
Yuh-Jung Youn is under some serious pressure.
The 'Minari' actress Yuh-Jung Youn made history when she became the first South Korean actress ever to receive an Oscar nomination in the Supporting Actress category for her outstanding performance as grandmother Soonja in Lee Isaac Chung’s family drama. Read our 'Minari' review here
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As Oscars are just around the corner the pressure on Youn is increasing, the actress shared her feeling about the cinema's biggest night.
Speaking with Deadline, when asked about how it is like to be the first Korean actress nominated for an Academy, to which the 73-year-old actor said, “very stressful”.
“I was just very happy being nominated. I never even dreamed about being nominated for an Oscar. People will be very happy for me if I get the win, but it’s very stressful.”
“It’s not like I’m representing the country by going to the Olympics, but I feel like I’m competing for my country. It’s stressful,” she added.
Minari marks her first role in an American film, further when asked about her reaction to Asian American hate and anti-Asian violence happening in America to which she responded, ''I think all the across the world. I think that the world is changing. My son, who is Korean American, is living in the States. He was worried about me coming to the States for the Oscars because he was scared I would get hurt. He asked, 'don’t you need to have some guard or something like that?'It’s a sad thing. Just because you are Asian, there’s no reason to be attacked randomly like that.'' she said.
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At the Oscars, 'Minari' is nominated for Best Picture and she is up against Maria Bakalova for 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm', Glenn Close for 'Hillbilly Elegy', Olivia Colman for 'The Father', and Amanda Seyfried for 'Mank' in the supporting actor category.