"Squid Game" actor Lee Jung-jae makes history at the Emmy Awards

"Squid Game" actor Lee Jung-jae made history at the Emmys on Monday night. The star took home the award for best actor in a drama, becoming the first Asian actor to take home the honor. He also was the first actor from a non-English show to win an Emmy, Netflix announced. The awards show, which was hosted by "Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson, was held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

"Squid Game," which takes place in Korea, premiered on Netflix in 2021. Lee played the lead character, Seong Gi-hun, also known as Player 456. After falling on financially hard times, he enters a competition with 456 contestants to win $4.56 million – the only catch is that every other contestant must die, with the sole survivor becoming the winner of the "Squid Game." 

During his acceptance speech, Lee thanked "God above" and the Television Academy. "Thank you to Netflix and thank you to the director for making realistic problems we all face come to life so creatively on the screen with a great script and amazing visuals. Thank you," he said. "Thank you, 'Squid Game' team. Thank you to everyone watching in Korea. Thank you."