SAG-AFTRA just said "green light" to Jung Ho-Yeon.
On Sunday, Feb. 27, the biggest names in Hollywood joined together at the Santa Monica Airport's Barker Hangar for the 2022 SAG Awards. During this televised celebration, the best performances in TV and film were honored, including those nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series category.
So, who took home this top prize? None other than Jung Ho-Yeon, for her work as Kang Sae-byeok in Squid Game.
While this performer was certainly a frontrunner in her category, she wasn't necessarily a shoo-in, as she was nominated alongside The Morning Show's Jennifer Aniston, The Handmaid's Tale's Elisabeth Moss, Succession's Sarah Snook and The Morning Show's Reese Witherspoon.
Thus, it's no wonder that Jung was moved to tears by her big win Sunday. "I have sat many a time, watching you on the big screen, dreaming of one day becoming an actor," Jung, whose first language is Korean, said via her translator. "I just want to say thank you so much."
After fighting back tears, Jung took to the podium once more and added, "Thank you. Make me dream and open the door for me. And I love you my Squid Game crew! I love you."
Squid Game marked Jung's first big acting role, having previously been a model. She is the second actress of Asian and Korean descent to nab an individual SAG Award, following Sandra Oh, who previously won Actors in this same category for her work on Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve.
Jung follows in the footsteps of Gillian Anderson, who nabbed the Actor in 2021 for her portrayal of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Netflix's The Crown. Gillian beat out co-stars and industry favorites Emma Corrin and Olivia Colman for the honor.
Jung is the latest win for the Squid Game team at this year's SAG Awards, as they already took home the Outstanding Action Performance as a Stunt Ensemble prize and saw Lee Jung-Jae win the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award.
For a closer look at all the winners, click here.