Sun. April 2, 2023
By Jerry Nunn
One episode of road rage between two strangers leads to a new, multi-episodic series called Beef on the streaming platform Netflix. A24 Studios presents an important dramatic comedy as the company continues to pursue projects that are sometimes underrepresented in media.
Created by Lee Sung Jin, Beef follows the story of contractor Danny Cho, played by Steven Yeun, who is wound tight like many people with the situation problems in the world today. Ali Wong portrays Amy Lau, a rich entrepreneur who is married with a child. The two converge over a road rage incident that influences their lives for a long time.
It may be challenging for audiences to see where this Asian-American tale will go after the parking lot, but that is part of the fun and experience found in Beef. Jin was inspired by a previous accident that was mentioned at a press conference, “It was an incident where the light turned green and I didn't go fast enough. It was also a white car and when it raced off I decided to follow. I didn't have a plan and that made me want to write about how people project their views onto another person. I am thankful for that incident now. I don't advise following road rages, but it does lead to shows!”
Actor Young Mazino plays Paul the brother of Cho and Joseph Lee is Lau's husband on Beef. The two talented performers talked about the show on a group call before the new series debuted.
The LGBTQ+ community is included in this unique series with one character and Lee spoke on playing a role of that nature in the future, “Our job is to learn about the human experience and I would be open to place my feet in different shoes of anybody so we will see where that goes.”
Mazino explained, “Regardless of sexual orientation or gender, it is about the writing, storytelling and the intention behind what is being made. We are all threaded together no matter who we are.”
If Beef continues for a season two Mazino stated he's like to see a storyline explored where people in Korea have a cultural clash with Korean American immigrants
Lee hasn't seen an example of a divorced Asian couple and described it as still taboo in many Asian cultures. He said, “I would like to see that in a very normalized way.”
Before ending the conference call, Nunn asked Lee if he could bring his visual art to Chicago one day, “I would love to! I am getting ready to open my first solo exhibition in Tokyo. I am collaborating with the fashion brand Diesel in their gallery space in September for three months.”
In the meantime, Beef begins its wild ride on netflix.com on April 6, 2023.
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