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

When Lee Sung Jin’s restricted sequence Beef wrapped manufacturing again in 2022, the solid and crew have been so proud of the profound camaraderie they’d developed that they’ve tried to fulfill for dinner a minimum of as soon as per 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 street rage incident for practically an hour. When he occurred to inform Ravi Nandan, A24’s head of tv, about this second of insanity, Nandan steered Lee may increase on it. Was there extra story to inform?

 The complicated and private tales behind two strangers clashing with such vitriol finally developed 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 reality, fueled by their deep unhappiness and ache. Not your customary comedy fare, however then that’s the magic of Lee. It labored so nicely that Beef rapidly landed on the high of the worldwide streaming charts after its launch in April final 12 months. 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 street 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 return.”

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

“There was kind of a gradual change that had been occurring in me,” he says. “I assume I might name it spiritually. Through the years, I believe as I’ve grown into myself on a private stage, my writing has been step by step altering. So, there was a shift occurring based mostly 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, have 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 write down extra actually. That assist system allowed me to seek out that confidence and it felt completely different from day one.”

With 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 protected house to share overtly. There have been quite a lot of laughs, however there have been days with some tears. I believe that’s actually the most effective 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. Trying again, it was this therapeutic vessel to vomit our insides into. It gave us a bit of 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 pieces,” he confesses. “David Lynch says one thing alongside the traces of, ‘Irrespective of the place you might be, simply write down all the pieces, as a result of the worst feeling on the planet is forgetting this factor you thought was good, and it’ll by no means come again once more.’ My notes app is simply stuffed with scribbles. For [Beef] I might return on humorous interactions and see if there’s a spot the place that psychology might match. Generally, 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 girl 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 grow to be, it’s fairly surreal to replicate on that [road rage] incident, particularly after the present popping out and all through award season. However we’ve screenings typically 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 particular person impacted me fairly a bit, realizing that due to elements 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 certainly not resting on his laurels.

“You by no means know when that artistic alchemy might strike once more,” he says. “I believe it’s only a reminder for me as a author, and I assume writers normally, to not recreation concepts to see what might be profitable. Oftentimes, the gold is sitting there proper beneath our noses, by means of the psychological struggles or the little ego bruises that you simply’re taking day after day. Reflecting on that has been the good lesson this previous 12 months.”

A second season of Beef has inevitably been mentioned. Although Netflix hasn’t formally introduced if the restricted sequence may return as an anthology, Lee needed to clear the air on a few of the theories which might be 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 normal concept of how a present referred to as Beef might work as an anthology… however I didn’t essentially have all these items 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. But it surely’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 must, as a result of sadly there are beefs in every single place you look, and positively not a scarcity of fabric to tug 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 something I work on subsequent will really feel the identical as Season 1,” he says. “It was a sure configuration of individuals which will by no means come collectively in that approach 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 duplicate 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 crucial selections you can also make. And I take that facet very critically earlier than entering into the ring with them.”

For now, the weekly dinners will stay in place, the place the Beef gang can have a good time the particular bond they’ve created by means of 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 might have stumbled in and knocked out a few songs. But it surely’s getting more durable and more durable to seize that invoice. I’ll faux to make use of the lavatory early, however then someway Ali’s beat me to it or Steven has pay as you go. That’s the true award, to attempt to get the test first. I believe it’s only a testomony to what a beautiful group of individuals we’ve that everybody’s at all times attempting to deal with each other.”