Popular K-Drama Actor Sparks Mixed Reactions At The 2024 Oscars…For Wearing A Turtle Pin
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Korean German actor Teo Yoo is garnering mixed reactions for his recent red-carpet appearance.
Teo Yoo Teo Yoo is known for K-Dramas Vagabond and Love to Hate You. However, he’s also a critically acclaimed and award-winning film actor, recently starring as Hae Sung in the Oscar-nominated film Past Lives.
“Love to Hate You” poster | Netflix 
“Past Lives” poster So, he attended The 2024 Oscars (also known as The 96th Academy Awards), held on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. He caught attention for his unexpected accessory, a turtle pin.
Yoo explained that he wore the turtle pin as a tribute to his deceased pet tortoise, who was named Momo after Michael Ende‘s fantasy novel Momo (also known as The Grey Gentlemen or The Men in Grey). He had this pet for a decade and grieved, crying for three days after it passed away last year.
I was in tears for about three days. I was so dramatic… It’s like that moment you have with your pet where you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, life is over.’ And then you remove yourself at the same time as an actor, and you look at the situation, and you think, ‘Oh, my God, it’s so dramatic and comical.’
— Teo Yoo
His fandom in South Korea is also called Momos. He does not plan to get another turtle anytime soon, as he’s still grieving.
#PastLives star Teo Yoo wears a turtle pin to the #Oscars in honor of his pet tortoise, Momo, who died last year. “I was in tears for about three days.” | Variety On the Carpet presented by @DIRECTV https://t.co/xfJz47aMB5 pic.twitter.com/XcSmwTfmB7
— Variety (@Variety) March 10, 2024
This interview clip went viral on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok with 938.1K and 418.6K views, respectively, at the time of writing. Netizens fell in love with how sweet he was concerning his turtle, and many were empathetic, having experienced pet loss, too.
Yet, some netizens felt the entire thing was “tone deaf.” Rather than a pin in remembrance of his deceased tortoise, they thought he should have worn a ceasefire pin.
On the same night, several celebrities used their spotlight to raise awareness for Gaza. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Thousands are injured, displaced, and starving as they continue to suffer attacks from the IDF. So, Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Mahershala Ali, and more wore Artists4Ceasefire pins, which are part of a campaign in which a group of artists and advocates have signed a letter urging U.S. President Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Several celebrities attending the Oscars wore red pins to show support for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Palestine solidarity protesters blocked roads nearby and delayed the start of the ceremony
pic.twitter.com/vSxmVE2Ksw
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 11, 2024
mahershala ali and mark ruffalo both wearing artists for ceasefire pins!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/p1Sgbd6upO
— sam
(@satelliteonfilm) March 11, 2024
Ramy Youssef wears an Artists for Ceasefire pin to the #Oscars: “We’re calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine.” | Variety On the Carpet presented by @DIRECTV https://t.co/qxqSOgif3j pic.twitter.com/yyM7HzpVdZ
— Variety (@Variety) March 10, 2024
While actors such as Ruffalo and Youssef earned praise for speaking up on the humanitarian issue, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish was met with mixed reactions. Some felt she did the bare minimum, while others were upset she showed any support at all for Palestine.
i've seen a few people wearing ceasefire pins but have been completely silent for the passed 5 months. these pins don't mean anything if you aren't going to use your actual platform. https://t.co/sYTvtylfO4
— sabina (@thespaceavenue) March 11, 2024
Wearing a ceasefire pin, but not saying an actual word is the same equivalent as when celebrities were posting black squares on Instagram: worthless https://t.co/bHeDW7UMtp
— Okiro (@TheFirstOkiro) March 11, 2024
The amount of hate Billie Eilish has received simply for wearing a pin calling for a ceasefire. Zionists are fuming in her comment section…don’t ever say these things don’t make an impact. pic.twitter.com/lQiW3W9SIA
— fellfromthecliff (@bylerrainkiss24) March 12, 2024
So, no matter what pin Teo Yoo wore that night, he would have been met with mixed reactions. Overall, many felt his turtle pin was a sweet tribute to his deceased pet and he deserved to mourn.
While Yoo did not receive an Oscar nomination himself for his performance in Past Lives, the film was up for both “Best Picture” and “Best Original Screenplay.”
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