Emmys: ‘Squid Game’s’ Lee Jung-jae, ‘Euphoria’s’ Zendaya Set Records for Lead Drama Series Actor, Actress Wins

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‘Hacks’ Jean Smart, Jason Sudeikis repeat as lead actress, actor in comedy series

Lee Jung-jae accepts the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "Squid Game" on stage during the 74th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022
(Image credit: Chris Haston/NBC)

Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae stunned the television industry by winning the Emmy Award for best actor in a drama series, while Zendaya returned to the winner’s stage  with a best actress Emmy for her role in HBO’s Euphoria. 

Jung-jae’s win for his role as Seong Gi-Hun in Netflix’s thriller series is the first for an actor of Asian descent, beating out an impressive list of competitors including Jason Bateman (Ozark), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Brian Cox (Succession) Adam Scott (Severance) and Jeremy Strong (Succession).

Zendaya took home the best actress in a drama series award for the second time in three years (she was not eligible in 2021), becoming the youngest two-time winner in Emmy history for her role as Rue in the HBO series Euphoria. Zendaya, now 26 years old, set the record by winning the 2020 Emmy in the category at the age of 24.

There were no surprises on the comedy front as Hacks’ Jean Smart and Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis both repeated as winners in the best actress and best actor categories, respectively. ■   

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.