Actress Maui Taylor was considered “lucky” by some Filipinos after it was learned that she previously worked with Oscar-winning South Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung almost a decade ago.
This piece of information was shared by Philstar.com justice reporter Kristine Patag who tweeted that Youn worked with the former Viva Hot Babes member in a 2012 South Korean erotic thriller.
Their film is titled “Taste of Money.” It tells the story of a wealthy socialite who finds out through her assistant that her husband has a salacious affair with their domestic help.
Youn plays the powerful matriarch while Maui portrays the role of Eva, a Filipino house helper.
TIL: Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-Jung and PH’s Maui Taylor were in a 2012 thriller erotica Korean film together.
Cc: @othersashas who told me to post this here. pic.twitter.com/yYExQA91TO
— Kristine Patag (@kristinepatag) April 26, 2021
The trivia surfaced after Youn on Monday (Philippine time) won the best supporting actress trophy at the 93rd Academy Awards, the most prestigious film awards in the American and international movie industry.
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She won the award for her role as a spirited and unconventional grandmother in the 2020 family drama “Minari,” which tells the story of Korean immigrants in the United States.
READ: South Korea’s Youn wins best supporting actress Oscar for ‘Minari’
The film, written and directed by Korean-American Lee Issac Chung, earned six nominations overall, including for best picture, best actor and a nod for Chung.
Youn, 73, is the first South Korean actor to win an Oscar.
Reports said that she has been a sensation on the Korean screen for decades, “most often playing witty, thought-provoking characters.”
Youn had already collected a best supporting actress Screen Actors Guild award — the first South Korean actress to do so — and a BAFTA for her performance in Chung’s film.
Meanwhile, her 2012 movie with Maui elicited various reactions from Filipinos who found out about the “Pinoy connection.”
“Wow! So lucky niyo po Ms. Maui Taylor..” a Facebook user wrote in response to the information with heart emojis.
“Maui Taylor—Oscar adjacent actress, perpetual hot babe, flower goddess, queen,” a Twitter user said.
“Thanks Maui, now I’m two degrees away from Youn Yuh-Jung!” film director Quark Henares wrote.
Maui worked on “Taste of Money” with Youn in the last quarter of 2011, according to the Philippine Entertainment Portal or PEP.
“Four months ako nag-stay sa South Korea noon, fly-in fly-out ako. Noong time na ‘yon, kaya ko tinanggap ‘yang project na ‘yan, I was going through a heartbreak,” she told PEP on Monday.
“Hoping ako nung time na ‘yan na ma-absorb ako ng Korea, as in willing akong lumipat doon. Sinasabi nila sa akin, mukha akong Korean. Sinasabi nila, ‘You don’t need makeup.’ Kasi ang make up nila, BB Cream lang. ‘You don’t need make up because you have good skin,'” Maui added.
The actress added that she was willing to learn Korean if they would decide to “absorb” her then.
“Noong una, medyo mahirap for me kasi hindi ko alam kung nagsasalita sila ng English or hindi. Luckily, lahat sila nag-i-English so hindi ako nahirapan makipag-usap sa kanila,” she shared.
Maui also said that she knew Yuon’s cellphone number, although she added it could’ve changed already since they haven’t seen each other for a long time.
She congratulated the septuagenarian for winning an Oscar and then shared a message for the veteran actress.
“Congratulations for winning best supporting actress for the movie Minari,” Maui said in her interview.
“And every time I see her in Korean television series or movies, I’m always proud of myself kasi parang sino ba naman ako ‘tapos nakatrabaho kita?” she added.
“I’m overwhelmed every time I get to see her because I got to work with her. And I’m sure, she can make more movies because she’s really a good actress. Seryoso talaga siya sa craft niya,” Maui said.
