{"id":1912314,"date":"2023-04-09T20:58:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T00:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-netflix-series-beef-doesnt-focus-on-race-these-characters-happen-to-be-asian-american-but-theres-so-much-more-to-them\/"},"modified":"2023-04-09T20:59:40","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T00:59:40","slug":"why-netflix-series-beef-doesnt-focus-on-race-these-characters-happen-to-be-asian-american-but-theres-so-much-more-to-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-netflix-series-beef-doesnt-focus-on-race-these-characters-happen-to-be-asian-american-but-theres-so-much-more-to-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Netflix Series \u201cBeef\u201d Doesn\u2019t Focus On Race: \u201cThese Characters Happen to Be Asian American, but There\u2019s So Much More to Them\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">44<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-netflix-series-beef-doesnt-focus-on-race-these-characters-happen-to-be-asian-american-but-theres-so-much-more-to-them%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1912314&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<p> \t<strong><em>Warning: This story contains mild spoilers for \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/beef\/\" id=\"auto-tag_beef\" data-tag=\"beef\">Beef<\/a>,\u201d available to watch on <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/netflix\/\" id=\"auto-tag_netflix\" data-tag=\"netflix\">Netflix<\/a> now.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \t<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/lee-sung-jin\/\" id=\"auto-tag_lee-sung-jin\" data-tag=\"lee-sung-jin\">Lee Sung Jin<\/a>, the creator and showrunner of Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef,\u201d first worked with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong on the animated series \u201cTuca &#038; Bertie.\u201d But their latest collaboration sees the three reunite to craft a Netflix show along an <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/a24\/\" id=\"auto-tag_a24\" data-tag=\"a24\">A24<\/a> sensibility. \u201cBeef,\u201d which dropped on the streaming service on Apr. 6, traces the intersecting lives of Yeun\u2019s Danny and Wong\u2019s Amy after the two engage in a vitriolic road rage incident that sets both on a collision course to chaos. \u201cAmy and Danny may differ in gender, class and career path, but they share a self-destructive nihilism that each seems to recognize in the other, even if they can\u2019t articulate it,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/news\/beef-review-steven-yeun-ali-wong-netflix-comedy-1235573979\/\">writes<\/a> <em>Variety<\/em> TV critic Alison Herman.  \t<\/p>\n<p> \tRounding out the main cast are Young Mazino, who plays Danny\u2019s younger brother Paul, and Joseph Lee, who takes on the role of George, Amy\u2019s husband. Ashley Park, Justin H. Min, Patti Yasutake, Mia Serafino and David Choe also star.<\/p>\n<p> \tRecently announced as a writer on <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/film\/news\/marvels-thunderbolts-lee-sung-jin-co-writer-beef-steven-yeun-1235567387\/\">Marvel\u2019s upcoming \u201cThunderbolts\u201d<\/a> \u2014 which sees him reuniting with Yeun, director Jake Schreier, production designer Grace Yun and editor Harry Yoon, all of whom worked on \u201cBeef\u201d \u2014 Lee sat down with <em>Variety<\/em> to discuss the nuances of the characters\u2019 dynamics in his critically acclaimed show, the nostalgia he embedded in the Korean church scenes and why he conceives of himself as a character-first writer.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>This show is a study in contrasts. Despite their differences, why do you think Amy and Danny are still so drawn to each other in a way that they can\u2019t even articulate to themselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tBoth of them assume incorrectly that they cannot show their true selves to anyone in their lives. Maybe that assumption is correct \u2014 I don\u2019t know that either can, and so part of the reason they\u2019re drawn to each other is they\u2019re not sure why, but they can feel this other person that is as broken and messy as they are. When you have that, it almost feels like a safe space where you can take off the mask, because you\u2019re like, \u201cOh, that person also looks that way, so maybe it is OK for me to have this little secret thing that allows my messiness to exist.\u201d I don\u2019t know how conscious of that they are when they begin their journey. But I think definitely by the end, it\u2019s pretty clear that they\u2019re very desperate to stand naked before someone and not be judged \u2014 and really, who else is gonna do that in their lives?<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>How would you describe some of the implicit assumptions underlying Danny\u2019s and Paul\u2019s dynamic as brothers?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tDanny assumes Paul to be locked into a certain age. With family members, we tend to view them at a certain age, and then they never really evolve past that. I have a younger sister, and she\u2019s in her 30s. To me, she\u2019s still 12 years old. When Danny looks at Paul, he doesn\u2019t see a grown adult; he sees his baby brother. For Paul, he absorbs that perception and assumes the same, because he can\u2019t see himself for who he is, either. That was part of the fun of casting Young, because Young\u2019s actually tall, he\u2019s built. But then in his performance, he\u2019s crouching, he has such bad posture, and he mumbles and he\u2019s always looking down, and he never really makes eye contact. That\u2019s his physical body absorbing these perceptions from Danny.  \t<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>Amy and George\u2019s relationship is a marriage in crisis. Similarly, what were some of the implicit assumptions and dynamics underlying their relationship that you wanted to capture?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tFor Amy, it\u2019s this assumption that if she just checks all the boxes, that this feeling goes away. She probably knew that George wouldn\u2019t understand a lot of her internal things, but it\u2019s almost by choice that she picks someone like that, because she doesn\u2019t want to have someone be capable of the same things she is. What\u2019s ironic is, George doesn\u2019t really get the void. But I think Amy incorrectly assumed that George would never do anything bad. Then, obviously, a lot of bad things do happen on George\u2019s side through the show. I almost feel like George lives in ignorance. Ignorance is bliss for him. I think he makes assumptions, but I don\u2019t know if they ever get really broken.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>The episode titles in this series draw from quotes from various figures, including Simone Weil, Simone de Beauvoir, Joseph Campbell and many more. What was the process behind choosing those?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tIt was fun. We had a shared document in the writers\u2019 room that throughout the writing season that writers threw quotes into. For most of them, it wasn\u2019t until all the scripts were finished that I went back and tried to couple them with the right ones. There are a few that we found early on, like the pilot [\u201cThe Birds Don\u2019t Sing, They Screech in Pain\u201d], the Werner Herzog one. One of our writers, Alex Russell, day two of the room was like, \u201cOh, you guys have to see this Herzog clip\u201d and played the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uL99NDUWJ0A\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">clip of Herzog<\/a> in the jungles saying how basically all of nature\u2019s suffering. That cracked me up, and it felt very appropriate for the pilot. The finale quote [\u201cFigures of Light\u201d] is probably the one quote that I\u2019ve had since inception. The Carl Jung quote is probably the main North Star for the show, even before I pitched it. It\u2019s \u201cone does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious,\u201d and that is ultimately what this show is about.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>The Werner Herzog quote reminded me of the Bible verse that says, \u201cCreation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.\u201d There\u2019s a throughline of spirituality and religious experience in the show \u2014 for example, Danny and Paul go back to the church they attended when they were younger. What about that experience were you trying to capture, and why does Danny feel that particular desire to go back?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tSteven grew up in the Korean church; I did as well. It\u2019s such an almost quintessential part of the Korean American experience \u2014 not even in a religious sense, but just as a hub for the community, and I\u2019ve always wanted to explore that in some way. It just felt natural here, because you think about the character Danny, and he absolutely would have grown up in the church. I think someone like him would return in a time of need, when he can\u2019t get a W anywhere else, you return to what you know and your comfort blanket. That\u2019s why it made sense for Danny to revisit. But then, as Danny does, he can\u2019t help but even take that little W and turn it into a loss. That was the impetus of exploring that world, and then a lot of the textures were just mined from conversations of sharing stories of church experiences.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>Did you choose the Chris Tomlin version of \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d to be the song Danny sings in church?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tIt was actually Steven\u2019s choice. I wanted to originally use a Bethel Music song, I forget which one, but then the next thing I know, I had a voice note from Steven. I was like, \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d and I hit play, and it\u2019s just him singing a cappella \u201cAmazing Grace,\u201d the Chris Tomlin version. It was four minutes long, and it was in perfect pitch, it\u2019s beautiful. I have it saved somewhere. But I heard that and I\u2019m like, \u201cAll right. It\u2019s got to be \u2018Amazing Grace.\u2019\u201d And then we had fun, especially me and [Citizens Church LA pastor] Jason Min, who\u2019s Justin Min\u2019s older brother, who did a lot of the church music. [We] tried to do a very Korean church, happy version of \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d That felt very nostalgic as well, because that\u2019s something that that my praise band growing up would have done.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>I talked to Steven about how he\u2019s in a lot of things that involve fire in some capacity \u2014 in \u201cBurning,\u201d \u201cMinari\u201d and now \u201cBeef.\u201d When you wrote the big fire scene, was that in the background of your head at all?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tThat\u2019s so funny. I had totally forgotten that. Even before Netflix signed on, that was in the PowerPoint pitch. I was photoshopping a picture of a house burning, and then I was instantly like, \u201cOh, no! \u2018Burning,\u2019 \u2018Minari.\u2019\u201d I remember texting him, \u201cHey, you cool with fire again?\u201d He was like, \u201cOh, yeah, let\u2019s make it a trilogy\u201d \u2014 he said something funny, and he didn\u2019t care at all. But that did cross my mind, and it is very strange, but hopefully this is the end of the trilogy.  \t<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>Maybe there\u2019s a fire scene that could be worked into \u201cThunderbolts.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tI don\u2019t think there is right now, but I\u2019ll keep that in mind.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>In another interview, you mentioned that Amy\u2019s character was initially conceived as a middle-aged white man. If that had stayed the same, \u201cBeef\u201d would have become a very different show. Was that a factor when you were deciding to change the character, or did it just happen when you met Ali?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tA little bit of both? The reason I abandoned Stanley Tucci-type very quickly was because \u2014 especially in the modern era \u2014 you have to talk about race, and there\u2019s so many other shows that do that very well. I really didn\u2019t have much interest, nor the capabilities to handle that, to write about that. So that was a factor. But I think it wasn\u2019t the factor in working with Ali. If Ali were another race, I still would have wanted to work with her. She really embodies so much about this character that is perfect, and she brings so many nuanced layers to the role. The fact that she is Asian American does help, because it allows for so many other doors to open and for us to explore other themes without having to address the card of race, which would take up a sizable amount of narrative real estate.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>The tagline that everyone keeps saying in reference to the show is \u201cThis is nothing like you\u2019ve ever seen before.\u201d It\u2019s interesting that \u201cBeef\u201d is not being marketed specifically as this history-making, revolutionary Asian American show. Is that a label that you were consciously trying to avoid? How do you see those dynamics play out in this industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tThat\u2019s a great and complicated question. I am very proud of all that\u2019s happening in Asian American culture today. But I think especially as a writer, you\u2019re always wanting to lead with character first. Yes, these characters happen to be Asian American, but there\u2019s so much more to them than just that. It really isn\u2019t an act of dodging, but it is more of an actively pursuing character. The marketing has been great, both on the Netflix side and the A24 side, wanting to really capture the mood and tone of the show and the mood and tone of these characters. Just the fact that they are Asian American says a lot on the posters, so allowing the show and the world and the characters to overtake that. It just happened organically more than anything else.<\/p>\n<p> \t<strong>Do you feel that, as a writer, there\u2019s a particular pressure, especially in the industry now, to be able to write things that are about race and your own identity specifically?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> \tI personally don\u2019t think about it much. I just try to chase the ideas that are exciting to me. There\u2019s certainly a lot of pressure to impress. I understand \u2014 it is an ongoing narrative that I certainly want to be a part of \u2014 but yeah, I leave that to the outside world. Internally, I tried to just focus on the ideas and the characters and just mining from real life, trying to try to touch something true every once in a while. I think if I just keep my blinders on that, then everything else organically bubbles up.<\/p>\n<p> \t<em>This interview has been edited and condensed.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<nav>\n<h4 id>Read More About:<\/h4>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Warning: This story contains mild spoilers for \u201cBeef,\u201d available to watch on Netflix now. Lee Sung Jin, the creator and showrunner of Netflix\u2019s \u201cBeef,\u201d first worked with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong on the animated series \u201cTuca &amp; Bertie.\u201d But their latest collaboration sees the three reunite to craft a Netflix show along an A24<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1912315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[4123,14384,7813,14769,7118,7786,6952,5158,5069,8612,3658,5126,11108],"class_list":["post-1912314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-american","tag-asian","tag-beef","tag-characters","tag-doesnt","tag-focus","tag-happen","tag-netflix","tag-race","tag-series","tag-them","tag-theres","tag-these"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1912315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1912314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1912314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}