Steven Spielberg has been criticized for claiming that Netflix’s hit series Squid Game is proof that TV shows can be successful despite casting “unknown actors”.
The 2021 South Korean dystopian series about a group of people invited to a mysterious competition to win a massive fortune was one of the streaming giant’s biggest hits of the past year.
Spielberg, who appeared on a March 19 PGA Awards panel of judges, praised the show and congratulated Netflix for taking a chance on a series without “well-known stars,” Deadline reported.
“A long time ago, it was home-grown stars that brought audiences to the movies,” the West Side Story director apparently said. “Today it’s interesting, unknown people can act in whole miniseries, can act in films.
“Squid Game is coming and completely changing the math for all of us,” he added, pointing to Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO and chief content officer. “Thanks, Teddy.”
Taking to social media, Spielberg has been criticized for his comments from Squid Game fans, who have pointed out that the show actually stars a number of veteran Korean actors.
Among them are Lee Jung-jae, one of South Korea’s biggest stars, and O Yeong-su, who began his acting career in 1967.
“LOL just some of Korea’s most famous actors,” one fan responded to Spielberg’s comments.
“Another day, another American thinks the world revolves around him,” tweeted another.
“‘Unknown.’ Poor choice of words,” one person said. “I understand that Spielberg may have valued having a (to many western viewers) ‘more familiar’ actor as an anchor in a new play of work, but this is a case in point when people express themselves clearly and distinctly do not offend.”
“Unknown???? Western exceptionalism rots everyone’s brain lmfao,” joked another.
Spielberg’s West Side Story is up for seven nominations at this year’s Oscars. The full list of nominees can be found here.