93rd Oscars Backstage Interview Transcript: ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

SPEECH BY: Yuh-Jung Youn

FILM: "MINARI"

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Q. (Speaks in foreign Language.)  Congratulations on such a historic win.  You cannot blame (inaudible) anymore.  You created the Oscar‑winning grandma.  What was the biggest challenge you faced in your acting career, and what did you get from (inaudible)?
A. Well, it's not happened right at the moment because I had a long career.  I'm trying to do my career, you know, step by step.  There is nothing that has been like this.  I don't believe in that kind of thing.  And just sometimes it's happy, very happy, when you get it.  But me, myself, I don't believe in competition, especially in our field, because we are comparing different movie, different war.  So it was ‑‑ I'm just lucky tonight, just luckier than the other nominees, luckier than them.  And maybe, who knows, it's American hospitality for the Korean actor, I think. 


Q. Congratulations on your win tonight.  Brad Pitt was a producer on Minari, and you just met him for the first time.  What was that like, and if you could do a movie with him, what genre would you choose? 
A. No.  That will never happen with my English and age, you know.  I don't think so.  So I don't really ‑‑ so, no.  No answer. 


Q. Hello.  I wanted to talk about ‑‑ there has been a lot of conversations about diversity but not many included in like Asian diversity.  You know, when you look at Parasite from last year and this movie, and I can't remember the name but of another Korean movie that came out, what do you think about the new films that tell a different story about what the diversity of Asian ‑‑ the Asian world offers as far as real stories and not just Kung Fu flicks and this and that?  How do you feel about, like, real stories coming in, telling about a different variety of Asian cultures that has been coming out lately? 
A. I think in talking how I feel about the diversity between Asian and all the different culture, how do I feel about that? 


Q. Yes.  I was mentioning about the different type of stories. 
A. Oh, yes, yes.  I'm sure it's about time.  Just hearing different stories, I think it's very nice to understand each other.  And we should embrace each other.  Embrace each other.  Because without knowing categorized ‑‑ these people are categorized like black, white, yellow, brown, something like that.  That is not nice way to just divide like that, you know?  I think if we put our colors together, make it more prettier, even rainbow has a seven colors.  So colors doesn't matter.  Gender doesn't matter.  Or the ‑‑ what?  What is, men and women, I don't know how to divide ‑‑ divide like, you know, like this, man, woman, or black and white, yellow, brown, or the gender, you know, gay or straight or something like that.  I don't want that kind of thing.  So just we are equal human beings.  We have the same warm heart.  So did I answer right?  Or I'm not sure.  It's an opportunity for us to share in the story together. 


Q. Congratulations.  This is, I mean, you got two really, two big honors tonight.  Not only the Academy Award, only the second Asian woman to walk away with this award, but also Brad Pitt?
A. Yes, I know.  Say it. 


Q. You win double time tonight.  Talk to me about what it feels to be able to represent and the pride you must be feeling but to also then have a moment with Brad Pitt like, oh, I didn't know you were going to be here tonight. 
A. I saw him on the stage, and then he called my name, and I could tell he practiced a lot.  He didn't mispronounce my name.  Then at that moment, then when I got there, I just lost ‑‑ what is the ‑‑ what I supposed to say.  What ‑‑ should I begin or something?  So, yeah. 


Q. Oh, first off, congratulations.  This is your first American film, and you win an Oscar.  And then as you just talked about, it was given to you from Brad Pitt.  I mean, my goodness.  And we saw you guys have a conversation as you walked off stage.  So I have to ask you, what did you guys talk about, and what did he smell like? 
A. I didn't smell him.  I'm not dog.  I didn't smell him.  No.  I've been watching him ‑‑ his first movie.  He was young and with the, oh, I forgot.  So I've been watching him.  He was movie star for me.  So I couldn't believe that he was speaking to me when he announced my name.  So then I ‑‑ maybe I just blacked out a couple of minutes, a couple of seconds or so, what should I say?  Where am I or something like that.  But I kept asking my friends, am I saying right?  Do they understand what I'm trying to say?  Something like this.  I'm still not myself.  So don't ask me too many questions, please.

 


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