The Korean-American director, actors, and crew of “Beef” swept eight awards at the 75th Annual Emmy Awards on January 15, with most of the cast reportedly from Los Angeles.
Director Sungjin Lee, who won three Emmy Awards for directing and writing, was born in South Korea and moved to the U.S. as a child. He currently lives in Los Angeles and said in his acceptance speech, “Danny, the main character in Beef, is a character that incorporates the emotions he has experienced.” According to him, he came to LA with no money in his bank account to pursue his dream of becoming a director. This led him to create Beef, which depicts the life of a Korean-American immigrant portraying his identity.
Outstanding Lead Actor winner Steven Yeun, 41, was born in Seoul and immigrated to Canada at the age of five. He lived in Michigan before moving to Los Angeles in 2009. After moving to LA, he made a name for himself with roles in The Walking Dead, Okja, Burning, Minari, and more before becoming the first Korean American to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in Netflix’s Beef last year. He will next be seen in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, which is slated for release in the first half of this year.
David Choe, who plays Isaac in Beef, is a native of LA Koreatown. After dropping out of Beverly Hills High School as he didn’t fit in, Choe moved back to LA at age 21 following two years of wandering. He attended the California College of the Arts in Oakland but dropped out two years later. He traveled around the country painting large-scale graffiti until 2005 when he was approached by Facebook co-founder Sean Parker to decorate the then-Facebook offices with graffiti. He received $60,000 in stock in exchange for the painting, which is now worth $200 million, making him the fifth richest artist in the world. He also faced controversy in 2014 when it was later revealed that he had said on a podcast, “I am a successful rapist.”
Justin Min, who plays Edwin, a Korean-American church worship team leader, is a Cerritos native. He was born and raised in Cerritos and graduated from Cornell University. He made his debut in “My Father” in 2012 and has since appeared in “CSI: Cyber” and “Pure Genius.” Since then, he has appeared in “Pachinko” and “After Yang.”
Ashley Park, who plays Naomi, is one of the many Korean-American actresses currently thriving in Hollywood. For her role in Netflix’s hit drama Emily in Paris, Park became the first Asian-American actress to be nominated for a Critics Choice Award, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The multi-talented actor, known for her abilities to dance, act, and sing, was last seen in the lead role in ‘Joy Ride,’ released last August. Ashley Park, who is making waves in Hollywood, grew up in Glendale. She moved to Michigan as a child and studied musical theater at the University of Michigan.
Joseph Lee, who plays Amy’s husband, is a Korean American who was born in Arizona but moved to Los Angeles in the early 2010s. He is a self-taught contemporary artist and actor, and in 2017, he painted a mural of Ahn Chang Ho on South Vermont Avenue.
Consequently, ‘Beef,’ featuring many Korean-American actors from LA, secured three Golden Globe Awards on January 8 and eight Emmy Awards on January 15.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Elle Magazine, director Sungjin Lee revealed his plans for ‘Beef’ Season 2. “From the time I made Beef, I thought of it as an ‘anthology series’ with different characters and stories in different episodes,” he said. “If given the opportunity, I would like to explore the characters of Danny and Amy. It’s up to Netflix to decide,” he added.
BY YEJIN KIM, JUNHAN PARK [kim.yejin3@koreadaily.com]
