squid gameLee Jung-jae hit the jackpot at Monday’s Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work in Netflix’s South Korean hit. Jung-jae makes history as the first actor from a non-English series to win in the category.
The actor prevailed over fellow nominees Bob Odenkirk (You better call Saul), Jason Batman (ozark), Jeremy Strong (Succession), Adam Scott (Breakup) and Brian Cox (Succession).
In TVLine’s Dream Emmy blurb for Jung-jae, we wrote, “It says a lot about Lee’s work that those who brave Netflix’s South Korean survival drama come to poke fun at Seong Gi-hun, a sad driver whose suitability as a divorced father is eclipsed only by his ability to hold onto a dollar. Gi-hun is the king of bad choices. Yet once he’s drawn into the titular, deadly show, a greater instinct for survival begins to kick in, and Lee compels us to follow his character’s evolution, as well as his distinct dynamic with former pal Sang. -woo, the quiet Sae-byeok, the gangster Deok-su and, more complex, Il-nam aka Old Man.
In a TVLine poll ahead of Monday’s primetime ceremony, in which we asked readers which nominees they would most like to see win, Jung-jae placed third behind Odenkirk and Bateman.
Jung-jae recently landed the male lead role in The Acolytethe next Disney+ star wars series.