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Parasite Eats Away at the Competition
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This year, the Academy recognizedoneactor of color in its nominee class (Cynthia Erivo forHarriet). Although this year’s BAFTAs and Oscars did recognize bothParasitethe film and director Bong in their respective best film and best director categories, it was this year’sScreen Actors Guild Awardsthat shined a light on the actual cast of the film, not just the film itself.
02of 10A Deeper Look Into #AwardShowsSoWhiteCeleste SlomanVulture’ssenior writerE. Alex Jungexplained well why progress must still be made when it comes tothe Oscars(and award shows in general) honoring Asian casts and actors in Hollywood.“It’s boring to talk about, but it must be said that there’s a persistent prejudice against Asian actors within Hollywood: It’s why studio executives say they can’t green-light a film with an Asian lead, and why an Asian actor has never been nominated in Best Actor or Best Actress (See: Awkwafina, 2020.),” hewrote. “There’s an old prejudice at work here that sees Asian people as technical workers - hence the praise for Bong Joon Ho - and refuses to see us as fully human.”
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A Deeper Look Into #AwardShowsSoWhite
Celeste Sloman
Vulture’ssenior writerE. Alex Jungexplained well why progress must still be made when it comes tothe Oscars(and award shows in general) honoring Asian casts and actors in Hollywood.
“It’s boring to talk about, but it must be said that there’s a persistent prejudice against Asian actors within Hollywood: It’s why studio executives say they can’t green-light a film with an Asian lead, and why an Asian actor has never been nominated in Best Actor or Best Actress (See: Awkwafina, 2020.),” hewrote. “There’s an old prejudice at work here that sees Asian people as technical workers - hence the praise for Bong Joon Ho - and refuses to see us as fully human.”
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Critics Resist While Old Hollywood Persists
Park So Dam/Instagram
He wrote, “Some might argue that the seamlessness and coherence of the ‘Parasite’ ensemble may actually have worked against it, keeping any single actor from standing out. To me, that argument is not just false on its face but ugly in its insinuations: It comes close to perpetuating a hoary canard about Asian actors and Asian people in general, which is that they’re indistinguishable and interchangeable.”
04of 10Giving Credit Where Credit Is DuePascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesWhile there’s still a long way to go for Hollywood to break its exclusionary traditions, it’s important to celebrate the history-making achievements the film and director Bong have already made ahead of Sunday night’s Oscars.Bong became thefirst Korean director to ever win a Golden Globe,andParasitewas the first South Korean film to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Fans will have to tune in to see if the movie’s winning streak will continue on Sunday.Before the big night, get to know the actors who’ve each played an integral part of making this film as successful as it has become.
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Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
While there’s still a long way to go for Hollywood to break its exclusionary traditions, it’s important to celebrate the history-making achievements the film and director Bong have already made ahead of Sunday night’s Oscars.
Bong became thefirst Korean director to ever win a Golden Globe,andParasitewas the first South Korean film to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Fans will have to tune in to see if the movie’s winning streak will continue on Sunday.
Before the big night, get to know the actors who’ve each played an integral part of making this film as successful as it has become.
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Choi Woo Shik
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
Choi and Bong reunited once again to work onParasite, in which Choi plays Kim Ki Woo - a smart, determined young man who leads his impoverished family in a scheme to become employees of a wealthy family. You can also check him out in the action-horror flickThe Divine Fury(2019) as Father Choi and the animatedWooparoo Adventure(2019) as Park Hyun Pil.
06of 10Park So DamJon Kopaloff/Getty ImagesThe 28-year-old’s breakout role as Yeon Duk in 2015’sThe Silencedled her to win best supporting actress at the Busan Film Critics Awards. That same year, Park went on to star inThe Priests, a mystery thriller that helped her gain amass followingand resulted in her being voted 2016’s most promising actor, along with Kang Dong Won, according to theChosunilbo.InParasite, Park plays Choi’s sister, who joins in on his scheme as the wealthy family’s art tutor-therapist who works with the family’s young son. You can also catch her inWooparoo Adventureas Kyoung Jang and as Park Hyung Joon in 2019’s animatedBakugan: Battle Force.
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Park So Dam
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
The 28-year-old’s breakout role as Yeon Duk in 2015’sThe Silencedled her to win best supporting actress at the Busan Film Critics Awards. That same year, Park went on to star inThe Priests, a mystery thriller that helped her gain amass followingand resulted in her being voted 2016’s most promising actor, along with Kang Dong Won, according to theChosunilbo.
InParasite, Park plays Choi’s sister, who joins in on his scheme as the wealthy family’s art tutor-therapist who works with the family’s young son. You can also catch her inWooparoo Adventureas Kyoung Jang and as Park Hyung Joon in 2019’s animatedBakugan: Battle Force.
07of 10Song Kang HoMichael Kovac/Getty ImagesThe star, one of South Korea’s most famous and well-respected actors, is a long-time collaborator of Bong Joon Ho. With no professional training, Song was able to build his acting career through theater, and later through film. His talent was first recognized when he was awarded best supporting actor at the 1997 Blue Dragon Film Awards for his role as Song Neung Han inNo. 3. His star grew as he landed leading parts in films likeThe Foul King(2000),Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance(2002) andMemories of Murder(2003), which was his first collaboration with Bong. The two continued their director-actor relationship to create critically acclaimed films likeThe Host(2006),Snowpiercer(2013) and, of course,Parasite.In September 2019, Bong toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat his trust in Song has helped him be more daring with his work.“There was a relief that came from the certain expectation that if this actor plays this role, even the controversial parts will definitely be convincing to the audience,” Bong told the outlet of Song. “The script ofParasite, especially, has bold, unexpected, or somewhat controversial moments in its latter part,” he continued, “but having Song Kang-ho in mind resolved the fears and concerns that I had writing them.”
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Song Kang Ho
Michael Kovac/Getty Images
The star, one of South Korea’s most famous and well-respected actors, is a long-time collaborator of Bong Joon Ho. With no professional training, Song was able to build his acting career through theater, and later through film. His talent was first recognized when he was awarded best supporting actor at the 1997 Blue Dragon Film Awards for his role as Song Neung Han inNo. 3. His star grew as he landed leading parts in films likeThe Foul King(2000),Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance(2002) andMemories of Murder(2003), which was his first collaboration with Bong. The two continued their director-actor relationship to create critically acclaimed films likeThe Host(2006),Snowpiercer(2013) and, of course,Parasite.
In September 2019, Bong toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat his trust in Song has helped him be more daring with his work.
“There was a relief that came from the certain expectation that if this actor plays this role, even the controversial parts will definitely be convincing to the audience,” Bong told the outlet of Song. “The script ofParasite, especially, has bold, unexpected, or somewhat controversial moments in its latter part,” he continued, “but having Song Kang-ho in mind resolved the fears and concerns that I had writing them.”
08of 10Jang Hye JinHan Myung-Gu/WireImageAs the matriarch of the Kim family inParasite, Jang is magnetic in her performance as Kim Chung Sook and often steals scenes with her impeccable comedic timing. Though she is known to have portrayed several versions of “the wife” or “middle-aged woman” in other films, she had to do something a little different to bring her character to life for this film.According toAllKPop, the star had to gain 30 lbs. for the role. She reportedly “ate six meals a day and limited her exercise to less than 40 minutes a day” to become the Kim Chung Sook we see onscreen.
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Jang Hye Jin
Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
As the matriarch of the Kim family inParasite, Jang is magnetic in her performance as Kim Chung Sook and often steals scenes with her impeccable comedic timing. Though she is known to have portrayed several versions of “the wife” or “middle-aged woman” in other films, she had to do something a little different to bring her character to life for this film.
According toAllKPop, the star had to gain 30 lbs. for the role. She reportedly “ate six meals a day and limited her exercise to less than 40 minutes a day” to become the Kim Chung Sook we see onscreen.
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Lee Sun Kyun
Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
With musical theatre beginnings, the star - who plays the wealthy father in the film - is best known for his roles in K-dramasCoffee Prince(2007),Pasta(2010),Miss Korea(2013) andMy Mister(2018). He’s also collaborated with South Korean director Hong Sang Soo on a string of indie flims, includingOki’s Movie(2010),Nobody’s Daughter Haewon(2013) andOur Sunhi(2013).
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Cho Yeo Jeong
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
The actress rose to prominence in 2010 as Choon Hyang inThe Servant. She often battled being seen as just another pretty face throughout her early career, but has become widely respected her craft and bold character choices.
source: people.com
