The New York Times included actor Lee Jung-jae on its list of breakout stars of 2021 for his role in “Squid Game.”

The U.S. daily published the list on Thursday, selecting newly emerged stars this year in music, film and theater.

The newspaper wrote that Lee portrayed Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict with a pile of debt in the dystopian Netflix drama, in a heartbreaking yet surprisingly delicate way.

It noted that Lee did not play the character flat, as simply a hero or a villain or a bumbling fool, adding that the actor called Gi-hun very complicated.

The New York Times also noted that Lee, a model-turned-actor, has already starred in several hit Korean films during his long career.