'Beef' Season 2: The creator breaks down how he depicted petty revenge with OJ and a wiener dog

There’s a mates determination successful Los Angeles who unknowingly inspired the 2nd play of “Beef.”

Lee Sung Jin, the creator of Netflix’s anthology play that swirls successful the consequences of people struggles, resentment and the absurdity of life’s curveballs, erstwhile again recovered himself inspired by a tense enactment playing retired earlier him. A roadworthy rage incidental astatine a stoplight successful Hollywood a fewer years ago, triggered by Lee’s delayed effect to a greenish light, became the catalyst for the archetypal season. An aboriginal thought to constitute astir a men’s doubles concern gone awry mislaid its luster aft “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s play astir a emotion triangle betwixt tennis pros, came out. But a heated statement coming from a location successful Lee’s vicinity became the adjacent spark that lit a communicative fuse.

“I told the communicative to radical — it caused a small disturbance successful the neighborhood,” helium says. “And what I recovered fascinating was the antithetic reactions. When I told younger folks, I’d get, ‘Did you telephone the police? Should you spell cheque connected them again?’ Very concerned, having an ideological presumption connected relationships. When I told the communicative to older friends and couples, they were conscionable benignant of like, ‘Who among america hasn’t?’ I thought the thought of juxtaposing these couples astatine antithetic stages felt similar ripe ground.”

The overheard successful L.A. infinitesimal inspired the eight-episode season,

Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac quadrate disconnected with Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny successful Season 2 of “Beef.”

(Netflix)

The twist-filled, darkly comic thriller kicks disconnected erstwhile a young couple, Ashley and Austin (Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton), who enactment astatine a Montecito state club, witnesser the explosive altercation betwixt their brag Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife, Lindsay (Carey Mulligan), an interior designer, the nighttime earlier the club’s caller Korean billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), takes over. She has her ain messiness to thin to involving her hubby (Song Kang-ho), a doc whose wellness is affecting his enactment connected patients. The calamities each mates faces rotation retired into a web of favors and coercion successful this communicative of breached systems and characters going to large lengths to get what they want.

“The thought of cycles felt interesting,” helium says. “A batch of shows and movies screen matrimony done the lens of 1 couple, you don’t truly spot that multigenerational juxtaposition.”

Speaking from his bureau connected the Raleigh Studios batch successful Hollywood, Lee discussed the season’s Montecito setting, the fiscal anxiousness that drives the communicative and the four-legged breakout prima of the show. These are edited excerpts from the conversation, which includes galore spoilers.

Why did you privation to acceptable this play successful Montecito?

Just penning what I know. My goddaughters — their parents are my champion friends. They unrecorded successful Montecito. The dada is my oldest person successful LA. He has a rank to Montecito Club, which is wherever we changeable the exterior of our show. I was house-sitting for him during the penning of each this. He fto maine usage his membership. I retrieve erstwhile helium told maine astir the membership, I was like, “You wage however much? That’s insane, dude.” But past you commencement utilizing the membership. This thought of hedonic adaptation — however humans truthful rapidly accommodate to this caller comfort, this caller stimulus — it felt similar an absorbing thing. I was observing however each the members seemed to beryllium mostly boomers and Silent Gen; past each the workers were Gen Z and millennial. I thought: What a cleanable metaphor for nine close now. No substance however hard the Gen Z and millennials work, they’re ne'er going to get to beryllium members of this nine because, arsenic Austin says, “everyone grabbed the container earlier they could.” That’s what made maine privation to acceptable it astatine a Montecito state club.

Oscar Isaac arsenic Josh Martin and Carey Mulligan arsenic Lindsay Crane-Martin. Cailee Spaeny arsenic Ashley Miller and Charles Melton arsenic Austin Davis. The 2nd play of “Beef,” follows the 2 California couples from antithetic socioeconomic backgrounds — though some are struggling — arsenic they spiral into a high-stakes feud. (Netflix)

That feeling of endurance and resentment and entitlement truly looms implicit this season. There’s speeches astir love, but besides capitalism. The anxiousness astir finances is truthful prevalent close now.

We surely didn’t acceptable retired to marque a play astir capitalism. But if you’re perpetually trying to pursuit information arsenic writers, I don’t cognize however you accidental thing successful the modern era, successful 2026, and not person capitalism beryllium a immense adaptable due to the fact that it permeates each facet of life. It’s similar going to get gas. Gas is astir $7 close now. You person to capable your vessel and determination goes $140? That’s crazy. And relationships look truthful overmuch accent — everyone is being deed by each these curveballs and trying to support your caput supra h2o — however tin you bask each other?

It became precise evident to america that if you’re going to constitute a play astir matrimony and emotion to these 2 couples, fiscal implications person to beryllium a large factor. There’s a batch of speech astir the disappearance of the American imagination close now. Birth rates are declining. No one’s owning homes anymore. But past you besides spot headlines astir everyone’s scamming. CVS has everything locked down. You’re like, “Yeah, nary wonder.” Everything’s connected. We wanted to truly amusement however that endurance instinct, the desperation, is starting to travel for everyone. I don’t deliberation it’s going to get easier, particularly with AI moving connected the horizon, and with leaders who garbage to enactment checks and balances successful place.

Part of Ashley’s communicative is utilizing the video of the combat betwixt Josh and Lindsay as blackmail to get wellness security truthful she tin spend attraction for her endometriosis. And that infinitesimal wherever she’s waiting successful the ER for hours and it’s not until she collapses that they recognize she needs exigency country — her large concern is whether she has to wage the deductible.

I wrote that occurrence successful a literal time due to the fact that it was based connected an acquisition I had successful an ER with my daughter’s mother. She had this unwellness autumn upon her. We spent 12 hours astatine the ER and, the full time, I had my Notes app retired and was conscionable penning down everything I saw. Almost everything successful that country is worldly that happened successful existent life. Our healthcare strategy is perfectly insane. It’s, again, unhinged capitalism and ... felt similar it truly unlocked truthful overmuch of the season.

There’s a infinitesimal wherever Josh has to merchantability immoderate of his prized possessions to wage a gambling debt. Have you been there, needing to merchantability things to screen your fiscal obligations?

I’ve been determination aggregate times. I evidently struggled to find my mode for a agelong time, adjacent aft becoming a writer. If you’re successful a penning partnership, successful a unit occupation connected a amusement — archetypal of all, this is what the guild has been fighting, trying to get these longer-term employment windows due to the fact that these jobs sometimes are lone ... possibly 8 to 12 weeks. You’re splitting a unit wage successful 2 [if you’re successful a partnership], and you astir apt haven’t qualified for wellness security by the extremity of that run. Sure, you’re a moving writer, but I retrieve [by the clip I landed at] “Always Sunny successful Philadelphia,” my archetypal existent penning job, I had amassed truthful overmuch debt, fractional of which were from parking tickets. I conscionable didn’t person the wealth to wage these tickets, and truthful I conscionable fto them tally rampant. So, yeah, I’ve been there. There’s this 1 guitar that I loved; it was the archetypal guitar I bought with my ain wealth aft assemblage — it was a Fender Telecaster. I deliberation I bought it for $1,200. I ended up selling it for $300. I’ve sold collectibles. I’ve sold thing that had golden successful it. I’ve scrapped to conscionable find thing due to the fact that you’re desperate.

Song Kang-ho arsenic Dr. Kim, Youn Yuh-jung arsenic Chairwoman Park successful “Beef.” Recalling the accidental to nonstop the pair, Lee says: “It conscionable makes maine consciousness similar a small kid again. It stops feeling similar enactment and starts feeling similar play.”

(Netflix)

You directed this season. Is determination a infinitesimal that stands retired with this cast?

A highest of my vocation that I deliberation astir regular is the infinitesimal successful Korea wherever we were shooting astatine Amorepacific. It’s 1 of the astir beauteous buildings successful Seoul. I’m shooting the country betwixt the large Youn Yuh-jung and the large Song Kang-ho — 2 of not lone my favourite Korean actors, but favourite actors period. They person ne'er been successful a country unneurotic successful immoderate Korean movie ever. They’ve been successful a movie together, but ne'er acted together. And present we are making Korean past by having them sprout that meal country and, portion I’m successful the mediate of shooting that scene, manager Bong Joon Ho surprises america connected set. He comes implicit laughing, pulls up to me, looks astatine my monitor, gives maine signifier fright, past elbows maine and says, “You definite you privation to framework it similar that?” He was teasing. Then we started shooting the scene, it’s each successful Korean, and I look backmost astatine video colony and Bong’s conscionable doubled implicit successful laughter. He is conscionable cracking up. Younger me, and contiguous me, is looking astir like: Here I americium successful Korea, successful this gathering I’ve ever wanted to sprout in, 2 of the top surviving actors and the top surviving manager — what is happening? What a brainsick condemnation to say. It conscionable makes maine consciousness similar a small kid again. It stops feeling similar enactment and starts feeling similar play.

How did you privation contention and individuality to fig into this season, peculiarly done Austin?

Charles was the archetypal portion of the full thing. After Season 1, I got to spell to Korea aggregate times. I changeable a euphony video for 1 of the members of BTS. I was experiencing Austin’s travel of being courted by this level of Korea that I’d ne'er been exposed to earlier and feeling lukewarm and allured by it — I’m having dinners with K-pop idols, similar what is happening? So, I knew I wanted to person that constituent of elite Korea involved. The writers and I discussed a batch whether it should beryllium a Korean American that’s being pulled. We had covered a batch of Korean American crushed successful Season 1, [but] 1 of the things we didn’t get to screen is the half-Korean experience. Several of the writers connected unit are either half-Asian oregon half-Korean. We don’t privation to repetition things, but let’s bash research a half-Korean quality who is astir to person a kid abruptly get this propulsion toward Korea.

Carey Mulligan arsenic Lindsay acting alongside Jones, the canine who plays Burberry, successful “Beef.” “Jones is the champion canine histrion I’ve ever worked with,” Lee says. “A24 is making Burberry merch. There’s going to beryllium a Burberry shirt.”

(Netflix)

There are immoderate beauteous gross, petty and convulsive acts of revenge. One is Ashley swirling her play humor successful Josh and Lindsay’s pitcher of orangish juice. The different takes spot during a formation — Lindsay wiping gunk from the toilet spot and transferring it to the rim of the cupful Ashley drinks from. Please explicate however you arrived astatine these acts. Were determination immoderate near connected the cutting country floor?

Episode 4 was pouring retired of me. And I retrieve I got to the constituent wherever Ashley snooping done the location [where Lindsay and Josh live]. Initially, I had her scratching up the trophy. She opened Josh’s pomade and blew a snot booger into it. I was reasoning of juvenile things. But I had the thought of her going to the room and having the happening that happened to her being the look of her revenge. I retrieve I was truthful tense to amusement the [writers’] room. The mode I wrote it, I had her crouching implicit the pitcher and Anna Moench, arsenic the main pistillate writer connected the show, was like, “Sonny, I don’t deliberation you cognize this works.” So, we revised it. That’s however the OJ 1 happened. With Episode 7 [and the toilet seat], we wanted to person a bodily occurrence connected a plane, and there’s conscionable specified constricted ways to get revenge connected a plane. But fixed the OJ portion — there’s truthful galore mirrors betwixt the 2 couples, we thought it’d beryllium amusive to reflector that with a portion from Lindsay to Ashley. The lone spot to bash that connected a level is bathroom. We changeable it connected signifier with a fake toilet and Carey was astir vomiting. She came to maine aft that scene, and she goes, “Sonny, successful each my years successful this business, that is the astir vile, disgusting happening I’ve ever had to do.”

The last moments of the finale jumps 8 years. Did you ever cognize you wanted a clip jump? And did you ever cognize Ashley and Austin were going to repetition the cycle?

The Ashley and Austin side, I knew the inverse graph for some characters would beryllium precise satisfying — to me, astatine least. I didn’t cognize whether that happened successful a clip leap oregon not. That’s thing we discovered later. There was large statement successful the room. I had a mates writers plead with me, “Why aren’t you ending with the kiss? It’s truthful sweet. It’s truthful good. I consciousness truthful bully astatine the kiss. Can we conscionable extremity it astatine the kiss?” I took it precise seriously, but past it felt precise akin to Season 1’s ending. Taking 2 radical who commencement isolated and they yet observe that transportation but excessively late. I didn’t privation to permission with the aforesaid feeling. How we tin marque it antithetic is the “what happens next?” Life comes astatine you fast. He’s [Josh] inactive successful prison. She’s [Lindsay] got to determination on. Once I started heading down that thought experiment, I’m like, “Whoa, you could bash a full coda showing the literal taxable of the show, the cycles, that’s wherever we tin amusement Ashley and Austin becoming Josh and Lindsay.” That’s wherever we show, adjacent though they recovered a connection, it’s mislaid betwixt Josh and Lindsay — adjacent if they’re inactive hanging connected to the past a small bit. You amusement Troy and Ava inactive unneurotic [laughs] — they person it each figured out. Then you amusement the billionaire who, adjacent with each the wealth successful the world, is crying astatine the graveside of her archetypal love, filled with regret.

We didn’t spot wherever Eunice (Seoyeon Jang) ends up.

I wanted to permission it open. I’m precise funny what radical think. She truly enactment her cervix retired there. Austin burned her bad. I don’t cognize wherever Eunice is astatine but it’s astir apt not good.

Charles Melton arsenic Austin Davis successful “Beef.”

(Netflix)

We can’t speech astir “Beef” without discussing the needle drops. When you person Austin listening to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” it was implicit for me.

The needle drops are usually pre-picked adjacent earlier we shoot. The root euphony that’s playing diegetically, usually we observe successful the edit. Before, arsenic scripted, it had him scrolling Instagram and it was [the opus playing on] his Instagram provender — you cognize however those Reels person euphony overlayed connected a POV? It conscionable wasn’t that comic to maine successful the edit. He’s truthful down and retired and I wanted to find antithetic root euphony successful there. One day, I told my editor, “Can you rip ‘What Was I Made For?’ And tin you conscionable temporarily bash it where, arsenic she opens the door, he’s like, pressing the measurement up, being similar ‘sh— ... sh— ...’ [intending to marque the measurement spell down]?” Our AE [assistant editor] did the ADR temporarily of the “sh—, sh—,” filmed it connected my telephone and I texted it to Finneas [O’Connell, the show’s composer, who is Eilish’s member and collaborator] being like, “Hey, is it chill if we bash this?” And helium was dying laughing. [O’Connell besides makes a cameo successful the season.]

Ahead of Season 1, you talented the writers “The Sopranos Sessions” and besides assembled a Letterboxd database of films that served arsenic notation points. What guidance did you supply for Season 2?

I sent different Letterboxd playlist. For inspo, we got “Handmaiden,” “Phantom Thread,” “Force Majeure,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “The Informant.” For immoderate reason, I person “Margaret” connected there, the [Kenneth] Lonergan film. I besides had “Michael Clayton,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” “Burn After Reading,” and lastly, it’s a heavy cut, there’s this movie called “Like Crazy,” starring Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin.

Also, tin we instrumentality a infinitesimal for Burberry’s acting?

Oh my god, Jones! Jones is the champion canine histrion I’ve ever worked with. He would deed his mark. He would listen. He would look astatine radical erstwhile he’s expected to beryllium looking. It was his archetypal clip acting. Crushed it. A24 is making Burberry merch. There’s going to beryllium a Burberry shirt.