Monday’s2021 Oscar nominationsincludedSteven Yeunmaking long overdue history to become the first Asian-American actor to be nominated in the Best Actor category. Yeun was nominated for his role inMinarias Jacob, the patriarch who takes a leap of faith in moving his family to a farm in rural Arkansas in the 1980s in pursuit of his own American dream. The actor’s fellow nominees in this year’s Best Actor category includeRiz AhmedforSound of Metal,Anthony HopkinsforThe Father,Gary OldmanforMankandChadwick Boseman, who was nominated posthumously forMa Rainey’s Black Bottom. Additionally, Yeun and Ahmed make history together as the first pair of actors of Asian descent to compete in the Best Actor category in the same year.
In Monday’s award announcements,Minariwas also nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score. Additionally, Yeun’s co- starYoun Yuh-jungreceived her own first nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film received six nominations in total, putting it behindDavid Fincher’sMankwho received the most nominations with 10.
Yeun is joins a growing group of Asian and Asian-American actors, writers, directors, and more who are receive Academy recognition. At last year’s Oscars, the filmParasitewon many historic awards, including the trophy for Best Picture, while its cast was entirely overlooked for recognition by the Academy. In years past, the only other actors of Asian descent to receive nominations in the Best Actor category wereYul BrynnerforThe King and IandBen KingsleyforGandhiand, later,The House of Sand and Fog.
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Yeun first became known for his role as Glenn in the television seriesThe Walking Dead,in which he starred for the first several seasons. He subsequently moved on to work on critically acclaimed films and projects such as 2018’s stunning filmBurning,a role for which he was passed over during awards season. He was a favorite for this year’s Best Actor category, having just come off a nomination for Best Male Actor in a Lead Role at the SAG Awards.
Minariis written and directed byLee Isaac Chung, who also received a nomination for Best Director. The film is based on the director’s own experiences of growing up in the United States as his family tried to make their own way. It first premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival where it won both the grand jury and audience awards. At the Golden Globes, it won the award for Best Foreign-Language film amidst criticism it was miscategorized and should have been nominated for the best picture category.
Minariis now available on video on-demand. The Oscars will take place on Sunday, April 25. Check out the official Best Actor nomination announcement via The Academy on Twitter below.
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