Netflix comedy-drama Beef is back for season 2 with an all-new cast of characters, who are about to get their hands dirty in another tale of escalating revenge.
Josh (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsay (Carey Mulligan) appear to have the perfect marriage to the wealthy customers at their country club, but the couple privately hold deep-seated resentments that are close to tearing them apart.
When their younger employees, Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), happen to record one of their fiery arguments, they use the scandalous footage as leverage to finally get the leg up that they desperately need.
Of course, this being Beef, the targets of this scheme are hardly going to quietly accept their extortion, with retaliating fire soon exchanged that ranges from the petty to the truly wicked.
Beef season 2 transforms the hit series into an anthology, which explains the absence of original stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, who both earned a slew of awards for their performances.
Read on for everything you need to know about the all-new Beef season 2 cast, including character profiles and career breakdowns. (You can also check out Beef season 2 review if you’re wondering whether it’s worth watching.)
Beef season 2 cast: Who stars in the latest episodes?
Here’s an overview of the key players in Beef season 2 – read on for more detailed profiles on each character and the actor playing them, including where you might have seen them before.
- Oscar Isaac as Josh Martín
- Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martín
- Charles Melton as Austin Davis
- Cailee Spaeny as Ashley Miller
- Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park
- Seoyeon Jang as Eunice
- William Fichtner as Troy
- Mikaela Hoover as Ava
- BM as Woosh
- Song Kang-ho as Dr. Kim
Oscar Isaac plays Josh Martín
Who is Josh? Josh is the manager of a members-only country club for the very wealthy. He’s a popular figure among the regulars, known for his attentive care of their every need, but his personal life isn’t running as smoothly as the venue. Behind closed doors, Josh and his wife, Lindsay, are becoming ever more distant, leading him to lock himself away in his ‘man cave’ for evenings at a time.
The simmering tension between them explodes in the form of a blazing row one night, which just so happens to coincide with an impromptu visit from their young employees, Ashley and Austin. The rival couple hold footage from the bust-up that threatens to destroy their squeaky clean public image.
What else has Oscar Isaac been in? Isaac recently earned acclaim for playing the title role in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. The project followed other celebrated films, such as Drive, Inside Llewyn Davis and Ex Machina. Meanwhile, in the blockbuster space, he’s known as fighter pilot Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequels and unstable superhero Moon Knight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Carey Mulligan plays Lindsay Crane-Martín
Who is Lindsay? Lindsay is Josh’s wife, who works for the club as an interior designer and fundraiser for charitable causes. Both she and Josh feel as if they never realised the youthful dreams they held when they first got together, which is one reason for their growing resentment. One thing they can agree on is their love for their dog: a little dachshund called Burberry.
What else has Carey Mulligan been in? Recently, Mulligan has been praised for her work in The Ballad of Wallis Island, Promising Young Woman and She Said. The British actor is also known for earlier roles in Doctor Who, An Education and Never Let Me Go and The Great Gatsby, plus Drive and Inside Llewyn Davis (where she appeared opposite her Beef co-star Isaac).
Charles Melton plays Austin Davis
Who is Austin? Austin is an aspiring personal trainer, who works a low-level job at the leisure club. He and his girlfriend, Ashley, have limited formal qualifications, which has made it difficult for them to make a good living since moving away from their respective families. The couple hopes to improve their fortunes with a spot of light blackmail after acquiring alarming footage of their bosses in a fight – but inevitably, this only brings more trouble their way.
What else has Charles Melton been in? The actor rose to prominence on the American teen drama Riverdale, before landing high-profile follow-up gigs in May December and Warfare.
Cailee Spaeny plays Ashley Miller
Who is Ashley? Ashley is another employee at the country club, who is in a relationship with Austin. The pair have hopes for a long and happy future together, but their lack of money and job prospects are a significant hurdle to overcome. Nevertheless, she tries to maintain a ‘can do’ attitude and puts great effort into her work.
What else has Cailee Spaeny been in? Spaeny has recently bagged high-profile roles as murder suspect Simone in Rian Johnson’s quirky mystery Wake Up Dead Man and underdog hero Rain in sci-fi horror sequel Alien: Romulus. She’s also known for biopic Priscilla, HBO drama Mare of Easttown and collaborations with writer-director Alex Garland, including Devs, Civil War and the upcoming Elden Ring movie.
Youn Yuh-jung plays Chairwoman Park
Who is Chairwoman Park? Park is the wealthy owner of the country club, whose arrival from Seoul, South Korea, leaves staff members fearing that their jobs are at risk. She is severe and aloof in her demeanour.
What else has Youn Yuh-jung been in? She earned an Academy Award for her performance opposite Beef season 1 star Steven Yeun in his 2020 drama film Minari. Prior to that, Yuh-jung had a long and successful career in South Korea, including roles in The Housemaid, The Taste of Money and The Bacchus Lady. She’s also known for Netflix’s Sense8 and Apple TV’s Pachinko.
Seoyeon Jang plays Eunice
Who is Eunice? Eunice is the personal assistant of Chairwoman Park, who is frequently by her side and assures that her busy schedule runs smoothly.
What else has Seoyeon Jang been in? Recently, she played Moon in Prime Video’s action drama Butterfly, starring opposite Daniel Dae Kim (of Hawaii Five-0 and The Good Doctor fame).
William Fichtner plays Troy
Who is Troy? Troy is a member of the country club, who has developed a friendly bond with Josh. He lives a generally extravagant lifestyle with his much younger girlfriend, Ava.
What else has William Fichtner been in? Fichtner recently starred in Talamasca: The Secret Order, a spin-off from acclaimed fantasy drama Interview with the Vampire. Previously, he’d made a name for himself as Alexander in Prison Break, Phil in Entourage and Adam in the hit US sitcom Mom. His film roles include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Independence Day: Resurgence.
Mikaela Hoover plays Ava
Who is Ava? Ava is Troy’s girlfriend, who is also friendly with Josh and Lindsay.
What else has Mikaela Hoover been in? Hoover is a longtime collaborator of writer-director James Gunn, whose shared credits include Super, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Belko Experiment, The Suicide Squad and last year’s hit reboot Superman. Most recently, she played Tony Tony Chopper in the live-action One Piece series on Netflix.
BM plays Woosh
Who is Woosh? Woosh is a tennis instructor at the country club, who runs a side hustle referring clients to Dr Kim.
What else has BM been in? BM is best known for his music career as a member of the K-pop group Kard.
Song Kang-ho plays Dr Kim
Who is Dr Kim? Dr Kim is an accomplished cosmetic surgeon, who is married to Chairwoman Park. His clients include members of the country club that she owns.
What else has Song Kang-ho been in? To western viewers, Kang-ho is probably best known for his role in global phenomenon Parasite, which became the first film not in the English language to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. He’d previously worked with the film’s celebrated director, Bong Joon-ho, on Memories of Murder, The Host and Snowpiercer.
Beef season 1 cast: Full list of actors in original run
If you’d like a reminder of how Beef got started, read on for our overview of the season 1 cast.
- Ali Wong as Amy
- Steven Yeun as Danny
- Joseph Lee as George
- Young Mazino as Paul
- David Choe as Isaac
- Patti Yasutake as Fumi
- Remy Holt as June
- Maria Bello as Jordan Forster
- Ashley Park as Naomi
- Justin H Min as Edwin
- Alyssa Gihee Kim as Veronica
- Mia Serafino as Mia
- Andie Ju as Esther
- Andrew Santino as Michael
- Rek Lee as Bobby
Steven Yeun plays Danny
Who is Danny? A contractor whose finances are in the red, despite his best efforts to change that. “Danny is someone who’s trying to do a good job and do what he thinks he’s supposed to do, but from his eyes, it just seems like the world is out to take him down,” said Yeun.
He’s also hyper-conscious of living up to his parent’s expectations and has a difficult relationship with his brother. “Playing Danny was an exploration of some of the impulses we all have when we’re in a constant state of fear, or living with a constant sense of insecurity.”
Where have I seen Steven Yeun before? Most people will know him from The Walking Dead. You might also have watched him in A24’s Minari and Jordan Peele’s Nope.
Ali Wong plays Amy
Who is Amy? A self-made entrepreneur who is on the cusp of selling her business for a lot of money, she’s also a wife and a mother. Amy appears to have the perfect life, but it’s a different story beneath the surface.
“There are themes of abandonment – even if your parents were seemingly there for you in all the most important ways, that fear of abandonment and resentment can really affect you,” said Wong.
Where have I seen Ali Wong before? You might recently have watched her in Prime Video‘s Paper Girls. Wong is also a stand-up comedian with a number of Netflix specials. You might recognise her voice from animated comedies Big Mouth and Tuca & Bertie.
Young Mazino plays Paul
Who is Paul? Danny’s younger brother. The pair have a strained relationship, with Paul constantly trying to distance himself from his sibling. Speaking about his character, Mazino said: “Most guys who work out to that degree would puff out their chests, but Paul doesn’t carry himself that way. He’s hunched over most of the time. He makes himself small.”
Where have I seen Young Mazino before? This is his most sizeable screen role to date.
Joseph Lee plays George
Who is George? Amy’s husband. Their marriage is in a precarious place. He has a naturally sunny disposition, which he tries to impart on Amy. George’s father was a well-respected artist and he sometimes finds it difficult living in his shadow. He makes his own vases, but Amy detests his work.
Where have I seen Joseph Lee before? You might have watched him in Star Trek: Picard.
David Choe as Isaac
Who is Isaac? Danny and Paul’s loud, outspoken cousin, who was recently released from prison. He refuses to do things by the book and is always cooking up a scheme.
Where have I seen David Choe before? He is best known for his podcast work and art.
Patti Yasutake as Fumi
Who is Fumi? George’s mother. She was essentially a PR for her artist husband, who died a few years ago. Fumi has a frosty relationship with Amy and clashes with her daughter-in-law on numerous issues.
Where have I seen Patti Yasutake before? You might recognise her from the Star Trek franchise, in which she played Nurse Ogawa.
Maria Bello as Jordan Forster
Who is Jordan Forster? A billionaire who wants to acquire Amy’s company. She has a room filled with sacred headdresses in her mansion, which is an overt example of her “tendency to appropriate from other cultures”.
“There would be an aspect of appropriation even in what she does to [Amy’s company] Kōyōhaus and the way she rebrands it,” said production designer Grace Yun and showrunner Lee Sung Jin. “She wants to own and conquer.”
Where have I seen Maria Bello before? Her TV credits include NCIS and ER. She has appeared in the following films: Prisoners, The Sisters, A History of Violence, The Cooler, and Coyote Ugly.
Ashley Park plays Naomi
Who is Naomi? Jordan’s sister-in-law who strikes up a friendship with Amy. She’s a stay-at-home mum who also carries out non-profit work and is involved in various other projects. She gets very defensive when people imply her only responsibility is looking after her children.
Where have I seen Ashley Park before? She plays Mindy in Netflix’s Emily in Paris. Park also stars in comedy feature Joy Ride and period drama Mr Malcolm’s List. You might also have watched her in musical comedy Girls5eva.
Justin H Min plays Edwin
Who is Edwin? A praise team leader at a local Korean church and a childhood friend of Danny’s.
Where have I seen Justin H Min before? He plays Ben in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. He also appeared in After Yang with Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith, and comedy film Shortcomings.
Mia Serafino plays Mia
Who is Mia? One of Amy’s employees. The pair have vastly different personalities, which grates on Amy.
Where have I seen Mia Serafino before? She appeared in NBC sitcom Crowded.
Additional characters include:
- Remy Holt (The Afterparty) as June, Amy and George’s daughter
- Alyssa Gihee Kim (Dave) as Veronica, Edwin’s wife
- Andie Ju (Stargirl) as Esther, another member of the Korean church
- Andrew Santino (Dave) as Michael and Rekstizzy as Bobby, Isaac’s associates
- Gina Lee as Mrs Cho and Jerry Hanjoo Kim as Mr Cho, Danny and Paul’s parents
- Hong Dao (The Emperors’s Gift) and Kelvin Han Yee (Milk) as Mr and Mra Lau, Amy’s parents
- Kayla Blake (Sports Night) as Dr Catherine Lin, Amy’s therapist
Beef is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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