(2nd LD) 'Squid Game' wins best drama series actor, director at Emmys

All News 12:40 September 13, 2022

(ATTN: COMBINES Squid Game-Emmys stories; CHANGES slug, headline; REWRITES throughout)
By Kim Boram

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean phenomenon survival drama "Squid Game" has become the first non-English TV series to win best actor and director in a drama series at the prestigious Primetime Emmy Awards.

At the ceremony for the 74th edition at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday (U.S. time), Hwang Dong-hyuk, who produced, wrote and directed the global sensation survival drama, took home the prize of Outstanding Directing and Writing For a Drama Series for the Netflix series' first episode, "Red Light, Green Light."

He was competing with Mark Mylod, Cathy Yan and Lorene Scafaria of "Succession," Ben Stiller of "Severance," Jason Bateman of "Ozark" and Karyn Kusama of "Yellowjackets."

In this AFP photo, South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk accepts the award for Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series for "Squid Game" at the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 12, 2022. (Yonhap)

It is the first time that a non-English TV series has earned an Emmy, the most coveted honor in the U.S. TV industry, for its director.

Hwang thanked the global streaming platform Netflix for opening the door to his all-Korean show and giving an unprecedented opportunity to access global audiences outside Korea.

"I believe I have to say we've all made history together," he said in his acceptance speech. "I truly hope 'Squid Game' won't be the last non-English series to be here at the Emmys, and I also hope this won't be my last Emmy either."

He said he will return with the second season.

Lead actor Lee Jung-jae was named Outstanding Lead Actor In a Drama Series, beating Jason Bateman from "Ozark," Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong from "Succession," Bob Odenkirk from "Better Call Saul" and Adam Scott from "Severance."

Lee became the first non-English speaking performer and South Korean actor to win an Emmy, one of the four major American awards for performing arts and entertainment.

In "Squid Game," Lee plays the role of Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man drawn to a mysterious competition of traditional Korean kids' games that reward the only survivor with 45.6 billion won (US$33 million) in prize money.

In this Reuters photo, Lee Jung-jae accepts the award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for "Squid Game" at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 12, 2022. (Yonhap)

In his acceptance speech, the actor thanked director Hwang Dong-hyuk for creating the series that was accepted by audiences all over the world and Korean fans for supporting him.

"Thank you director Hwang for making realistic problems we all face come to life so creatively on the screen with the great script and amazing visuals," he said. "I want to share this amazing honor with my fans, friends and family in Korea."

This image provided by Netflix shows a scene from "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In total, "Squid Game" has collected six Emmy titles: two majors at Monday's ceremony and four at the Creative Arts Emmys held last week. The Netflix original garnered 14 nominations at this year's Emmys.

It is Netflix's biggest hit original series ever, with a total of 1.65 billion hours of viewing in the first four weeks. Its second season is now in production.