‘Youn was a godsend,’ reports NYT

“In an awfully dry ceremony, Youn was a godsend.” The New York Times (NYT) reported Monday (local time) on Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung’s speech at the Academy Awards after receiving a trophy for the first time as a Korean actor. “When she won the supporting-actress Oscar for playing the grandmother in ‘Minari,’ Youn brought that same comic energy and then some,” reported the NYT. 　

Youn is charming not only overseas media, but also film fans who watched the awards ceremony. Major news outlets and online communities in the U.S. have assessed her speech to be the “best award speech.”

CNN said she “steals the show” as it posted a video clip of main lines of her speech on its website. “[She] provided winsome, even fetching magnetism in her rambling acceptance speech -- flirting with presenter Brad Pitt, commiserating with losing competitor Close, thanking anybody and everybody,” reported CNN. About fellow nominee Amanda Seyfried seen mouthing the words, “So lovely,” CNN said “It was the kind of class that assured me that whatever is meant by "The Old Hollywood" lives on in younger stars like Seyfried.” It seems to point out that the award symbolizing traditional Hollywood films enthralled young actors. 　

The Washington Post reported that Youn gave the best speech among all award recipients that night. It also said the wittiest part of her speech was her practical joke on those who pronounced her name wrongly. 　

There are overflowing praises on her speech on social networks. A twitter user suggested giving her another Oscar for her speech. Another user uploaded a post titled, “Who could ever stop Youn Yuh-jung teasing Brad Pitt?” They said she had excellent philosophy and interesting thoughts about her remarks in her interview with the press


chan2@donga.com