Youn Yuh-Jung knows that life rarely follows best-laid plans. After she took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Minari in 2021, the 77-year-old Korean film icon had no plans to return to the world of American indie film. She spoke candidly during her awards press run about the challenges of Minari’s low-budget production. Her past few projects, including Apple TV+’s multi-lingual epic Pachinko and the Korean rom-com Dog Days, allowed her to stay close to home. Then came the offer for Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 comedy, The Wedding Banquet. Youn was initially hesitant, but eventually signed on for the same reason she will always have ties to the U.S.: her family.
Youn has two adult sons whom she welcomed while living in the U.S. during her 10-year hiatus from acting between 1974 and 1984. They both live in America; Youn accepted her role in Minari, her first American film in her 50-year acting career, partly for the chance to see them. Speaking to Marie Claire over Zoom (with her younger son and manager Nuel Cho helping to translate), Youn explains that the queer rom-com hit close to home because her eldest, who identifies as gay, encouraged her to take the role. And thankfully, filming The Wedding Banquet in cloudy Vancouver, rather than under the Oklahoma sun, made the experience all the more enjoyable. “Compared with that one, this one was a luxury to me,” she says.
