Lee Byung-hun Breaks Barriers With Historic Golden Globe Nod

Lee Byung-hun has already made his mark on Hollywood, but this weekend, he’s set a new milestone. As the first Korean performer ever nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes, his work in Park Chan-wook’s satirical thriller No Other Choice is turning heads. This recognition comes after his standout roles in Netflix ’s global hits Squid Game and KPop Demon Hunters, both of which shattered viewership records.

In a recent interview ahead of the 83rd Golden Globes, which airs tonight on CBS and Paramount+ with Nikki Glaser hosting, Byung-hun shared how he learned about his groundbreaking nomination. He recalled, "I was sleeping. And my Korean friend texted me. That’s how I found out, but it was like dreaming, because I was sleeping! It was fantastic. And I was so happy but I’m trying to be satisfied only with the nomination, because acting is not about winning or losing. Everybody has their own value. So whatever it is I’m trying to enjoy that day, and it’s going to be my first experience at the Golden Globes. And I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of great moviemakers and actor friends."

Facing Stiff Competition

Byung-hun is up against a formidable lineup this year. The category includes Jesse Plemons for Bugonia , Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, George Clooney in Jay Kelly, and Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon. When asked about his favorites among the nominees, Byung-hun mentioned, "I liked One Battle After Another and Train Dreams. In Train Dreams, there is this deep pain in that film that sort of continues from the beginning to the end. And it’s a little bit hard to put [into] words, but it’s almost as if a needle is kind of pricking you throughout the film. It’s not like there’s a huge climax or it makes you sob necessarily, but it’s really like that consistency of that feeling was really notable to me."

Park Chan-wook’s Bold New Direction

Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice is being hailed as one of the standout films of 2025. Critics have praised its daring blend of dark humor and moral ambiguity. As one reviewer put it,

No Other Choice is as pitch-black a comedy as they come, reveling in the messiness of murder and the skewed morals of what is and isn’t right when your life (and the lives of others) depends on it. That dark tone is bound to be off-putting for some, unable to grapple with the playfulness with which Park presents monstrous actions, but that indulgence in cruelty is part of the point.

The film showcases Park’s signature style, but with a fresh twist. His approach to humor and ethical dilemmas is more playful than ever, unafraid to find laughter in the most unexpected places. The reviewer continues,

Everything about No Other Choice feels like Park having a field day with his work. His sense of humor pairs with the way he interrogates moral conundrums, never once being ashamed to laugh at (or with) something even when it is being presented in earnest (like his sincere, if occasionally deranged, romances like The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave in recent years).

Style and Substance Collide

What truly sets No Other Choice apart is Park’s evolving visual style. The film’s playful editing, inventive transitions, and striking visuals are less about underlining the story and more about pure cinematic flair. As the review notes,

Most delightful of all here is the way his style continues to evolve, his formal playfulness feeling looser than ever. His usual stylistic flourishes – seemingly always determined to discover new ways to present a joke through a simple cut or finding beauty in a minute moment through an inspired transition or a dissolve between scenes – are less tied to character emotions or underscoring narrative beats in this picture and more for the sake of just looking cool.