Actor Lee Jung-jae on Squid Game’s Emmy success and how South Korean cinema attained global clout
- Lee said South Korean cinema spent years to figure out how to connect better with global audiences through stories about the violence of modern life
- He added: ‘As a result of these years-long efforts, we see a lot of high-quality content, that has resonated around the world’
Smash hits like Squid Game and Parasite may make it look easy, but Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae said South Korean cinema spent years learning how to reach unprecedented global audiences through stories about the competitiveness and violence of modern life.
“As a piece of work that is not in English that we’re able to bring to the global audience, we’re very happy about that,” said Lee, who made history as the first foreign-language performer to win the Emmy for best actor in a drama with Squid Game – the most-watched Netflix show of all time.
“Even from Korea everybody was so happy and they were sending me congratulating messages,” he said during an interview at the Toronto film festival.
“When I go back there’s a lot of interviews and things waiting for me!”
