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WEEK IN WOMEN: Youn Yuh-jung makes SAG history – Brandy McDonald reports

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Minari star Youn Yuh-jung made history when she won this year’s Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, April 5, 2021.

She became the first Korean performer to ever win in the category, besting Maria Bakalova in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman in The Father and Helena Zengel in News of the World.

Youn becomes the first Asian winner and first Asian woman winner in any individual SAG movie category. Sandra Oh remains the only Asian woman who has won an individual SAG Award in the television categories.

“I don’t know how to describe my feelings,” said Youn, a first-time SAG nominee, in her acceptance speech. “I’m being recognized by Westerners. … I’m very pleased and happy.”

Youn wasn’t the only Asian nominee at this year’s COVID-shortened and pre-recorded SAG Awards: Riz Ahmed, the British Pakistani star of Sound of Metal and Steven Yeun, Youn’s Korean-American Minari co-star, were nominated in the best actor category. The late Chadwick Boseman won for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Also nominated for best actor were Anthony Hopkins (The Father) and Gary Oldman (Mank). Continue reading on THE WEEK IN WOMEN.

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Brandy McDonnell

Brandy McDonnell writes features and reviews movies, music, events and the arts for The Oklahoman, Oklahoma's statewide newspaper, and NewsOK.com, the state's largest news Web site. Raised on a farm near Lindsay, Okla., she started her journalism career in seventh grade, when she was elected reporter for her school's 4-H Club. Taking her duties seriously, she began submitting stories to The Lindsay News, and worked for the local weekly through high school. She attended Oklahoma State University, where she worked for The Daily O'Collegian and earned her journalism degree with honors. She worked for three years at small Oklahoma dailies The Edmond Sun and Shawnee News-Star. In 2002, she joined The Oklahoman as a features reporter, writing about movies, the arts, events, families and nonprofits. She moved to The Oklahoman's entertainment desk in 2007. In 2004, she won a prestigious Journalism Fellowship in Child & Family Policy from the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Along with her membership in AWFJ, she also is a founding member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. Brandy writes The Week In Women blog for AWFJ.org.