Parasite Makes SAG Awards History With Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Win

What’s an award show without a little history making?

Before the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards could wrap up on Sunday, Jan. 19, one final award had to be handed out. And when Dan and Eugene Levy (who were definitely not our hosts for the evening, despite opening and closing the show) announced the cast that would be taking home the Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture, the cast of Parasite worked their way into the record books by becoming the first foreign-language film in the ceremony’s 26-year history to win the award.

It was clear that the film, directed by Bong Joon-Ho had the crowd of Hollywood’s elite on their side early on in the evening when, as the cast presented their film as one of the night’s big nominees, they received a lengthy standing ovation. But still, the win seemed to the all-Korean cast by pleasant surprise. It truly was a moment.

Speaking with the assistance, star Song Kang-ho accepted the award on behalf of his co-stars, telling the crowd, “Although the title is Parasite, I think the story is about co-existence and how we can all live together. But to be honored with the best ensemble award, it occurs to me that maybe we haven’t created such a bad movie. I’m so honored to receive this award in front of such amazing actors that I admire. I will never forget this beautiful night. Thank you so much.”

To take home the Actor, the film edged out stiff competition from the likes of Bombshell, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.

This marks Parasite‘s second big win after taking home Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month. 

With six Academy Award nominations at next month’s ceremony, including Best Director and the coveted Best Picture, it now looks as though the South Korean film might walk away with quite a bit of hardware by the end of award season.