‘Beef’ Creator Lee Sung Jin Connects To A World Viewers

When Lee Sung Jin’s restricted sequence Beef wrapped manufacturing again in 2022, the forged and crew had been so proud of the profound camaraderie they’d developed that they’ve tried to fulfill for dinner no less than as soon as every week ever since — some irony for a narrative initially borne out of anger and resentment.

A while in the past, pre-Beef, Lee discovered himself angrily tailing a driver in a highway rage incident for practically an hour. When he occurred to inform Ravi Nandan, A24’s head of tv, about this second of insanity, Nandan urged Lee would possibly increase on it. Was there extra story to inform?

 The complicated and private tales behind two strangers clashing with such vitriol finally advanced into Lee’s restricted sequence. At turns hilarious and disturbing, it follows the lives of Amy (Ali Wong) and Danny (Steven Yeun) as they enter into an intense feud that’s, in fact, fueled by their deep unhappiness and ache. Not your customary comedy fare, however then that’s the magic of Lee. It labored so effectively that Beef rapidly landed on the prime of the worldwide streaming charts after its launch in April final yr. Critics raved at the way it completely captured the undercurrent of frustration in society, and it’s thought-about one of many highest-rated Netflix TV originals of all time.

Finally, in a Beef-level comedy second, Lee would thank the highway rage driver who started all of it. In his Golden Globe acceptance speech he declared, “Sir, I hope you honk and yell and encourage others for years to come back.”

After spending greater than a decade writing after which producing comedies like It’s All the time Sunny in Philadelphia, 2 Broke Women and Dave, Lee had constructed a really profitable profession engaged on different folks’s in style reveals. However the concept of getting his personal unique present tugged at him.

“There was form of a gradual change that had been occurring in me,” he says. “I assume I may name it spiritually. Through the years, I believe as I’ve grown into myself on a private stage, my writing has been steadily altering. So, there was a shift occurring primarily based off my very own particular person change.”  

As soon as the thought for Beef got here collectively, Lee instantly reached out to Yeun and Wong, who additionally joined as government producers, to hash out the complexities of the characters he was attempting to create.

“Early on, [executive producers] Ravi and Alli Reich at A24, together with Steven and Ali, had been all collaborators earlier than we even took out the present as a pitch,” Lee remembers. “They actually helped encourage me and actually push me to a spot the place it was OK to put in writing extra truthfully. That assist system allowed me to seek out that confidence and it felt completely different from day one.”

Having the ability to work with the 2 leads from the beginning, Lee found what the story’s common themes would imply for Amy and Danny, and he dug deeper into the minutia of their Asian American experiences, pulling collectively a writers’ room of “like-minded people”.

“A few of us struggled with very related psychological well being issues,” he says. “It allowed for us to have a really secure house to share overtly. There have been a whole lot of laughs, however there have been days with some tears. I believe that’s actually the very best house to function, it’s within the stuff that we’re too scared to speak about. As a result of it was in the course of the pandemic, I believe weirdly, Zoom helped. Wanting again, it was this therapeutic vessel to vomit our insides into. It gave us just a little little bit of distance to share stuff you usually wouldn’t.”

Lee additionally mined the notes app on his cellphone for experiences and conversations he’s saved over time.

“I write down all the things,” he confesses. “David Lynch says one thing alongside the strains of, ‘Regardless of the place you’re, simply write down all the things, as a result of the worst feeling on this planet is forgetting this factor you thought was good, and it’ll by no means come again once more.’ My notes app is simply filled with scribbles. For [Beef] I might return on humorous interactions and see if there’s a spot the place that psychology may match. Typically, I’ll be on the cellphone with somebody, they usually’ll hear my fingers clacking they usually’re like, ‘Are you penning this down?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m. Sorry.’

“I’ve been fairly cocooned to how large the present is,” says Lee, “however I used to be in Korea final August, and I used to be simply getting a espresso throughout from my lodge, and a lady stopped me and in Korean was like, ‘Are you the gamdong-nim (director/showrunner) of Beef?’ That was surreal, particularly since I’m in a rustic the place I look extra like everybody else, and nonetheless somebody cherished the present sufficient to hunt me out and acknowledge me.”

With the present’s success, Lee additionally discovered himself on a year-long journey selling the sequence throughout its award marketing campaign — an expertise that led to what he calls his “five-minute stand-up set describing Beef”, which is “fairly locked in now,” he laughs. “As media-trained because the story has turn into, it’s fairly surreal to mirror on that [road rage] incident, particularly after the present popping out and all through award season. However we’ve screenings generally and I’d meet people who find themselves tremendous linked to the present due to the way in which we’ve highlighted loneliness, melancholy, and psychological well being issues that we undergo. I believe that connection in individual impacted me fairly a bit, understanding that due to facets of the present, folks felt much less alone. That’s been actually pretty.”

By the point Lee made it to the Primetime Emmy Awards, Beef had already obtained numerous plaudits — amongst them, three Golden Globes, 4 Critics Alternative Awards and eight Emmys, together with Excellent Restricted Collection, directing (Lee), actor (Yeun) and actress (Wong). However Lee is under no circumstances resting on his laurels.

“You by no means know when that inventive alchemy could strike once more,” he says. “I believe it’s only a reminder for me as a author, and I assume writers typically, to not recreation concepts to see what will probably be profitable. Oftentimes, the gold is sitting there proper beneath our noses, by the psychological struggles or the little ego bruises that you just’re taking daily. Reflecting on that has been the best lesson this previous yr.”

A second season of Beef has inevitably been mentioned. Although Netflix hasn’t formally introduced if the restricted sequence would possibly return as an anthology, Lee wished to clear the air on among the theories which are on the market.

“In my preliminary pitch of Beef, we did pitch it as an anthology sequence,” acknowledges Lee, “however not a number of seasons. I gave a basic concept of how a present referred to as Beef may work as an anthology… however I didn’t essentially have all this stuff deliberate out.

“It’s necessary to be adaptable and reply to the present second, or no matter present reality is pulling at you as a author. Nevertheless it’s too early to say the place issues will head. I’m simply attempting to stay as open as doable and am mentally able to faucet into no matter lane I have to, as a result of sadly there are beefs all over the place you look, and positively not a scarcity of fabric to drag from.” 

However what Lee is aware of is that the magic of no matter he works on subsequent won’t ever be replicated from the expertise of engaged on this specific sequence.

“I’ve let go of the concept that something I work on subsequent will really feel the identical as Season 1,” he says. “It was a sure configuration of individuals that will by no means come collectively in that method once more. I’ve needed to let go of that concept, as unhappy as that’s, as a result of everybody concerned would love to copy the sensation.

“That doesn’t imply no matter comes subsequent can’t be fulfilling, boundary-pushing and truthful. It’s all about attending to know the brand new collaborators, having these deep conversations, and ensuring everybody’s on the identical frequency. The folks you select to be round, whether or not in work or in your private life, are an important selections you can also make. And I take that side very significantly earlier than getting into the ring with them.”

For now, the weekly dinners will stay in place, the place the Beef gang can rejoice the particular bond they’ve created by engaged on the present.

“Me and Steven discovered a Korean barbeque spot the place they’ve an hooked up karaoke room,” Lee reveals. “We did an official large Beef reunion dinner, and we could have stumbled in and knocked out a few songs. Nevertheless it’s getting tougher and tougher to seize that invoice. I’ll fake to make use of the toilet early, however then in some way Ali’s beat me to it or Steven has pay as you go. That’s the actual award, to try to get the examine first. I believe it’s only a testomony to what a stunning group of individuals we’ve that everybody’s at all times attempting to deal with each other.”