Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500026
41 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E F E A T U R E By Peter Tonguette T h e n e w N e t f l i x d r a m a - c o m e d y "Beef " starts at a low point in its protagonists' lives. On an otherwise unremarkable day in Southern California, prosperous en- trepreneur Amy (Ali Wong) and luckless contractor Danny (Steven Yeun) first meet while each is behind the wheel of their cars. There is a verbal altercation; a frenetic chase follows. Much steam is let off. Pedes- trians are happily spared in the encounter. For Amy and Danny, however, the incident is too strange, too disturbing, too exciting to move on from. This road rage encounter fuels the rest of the series, which also examines the state of discontentment that led the characters to their so-called "beef" with each other. The show also stars Joseph Lee as Amy's husband, George; and Young Mazino as Danny's brother, Paul. Although the series depicts the conse- quences and causes of that lousy day, for the four editors who brought "Beef " to life — Nat Fuller, Jordan Kim, Harry Yoon, ACE, and Laura Zempel — the show was nothing but rewarding. Created by Lee Sung Jin, a native of South Korea, "Beef " is one of the few shows in memory to dive deeply into the lives of Korean American characters, an aspect of the show that has a personal resonance for Kim and Yoon, both Asian Americans. S p l i t t i n g e d i t o r i a l d u t i e s o v e r 1 0 episodes, the editors collaborated on a show unique in its sociological acuity and memorable for its mixture of dark comedy and drama. CineMontage recently caught up with Fuller, Kim, Yoon, and Zempel to talk about one of the spring's most talk- ed-about shows. CineMontage: Harry, you edited the pilot. How did you get involved with "Beef"? H a r r y Yo o n: Su n ny [ L e e Su n g J i n ] g o t i n t o u c h w i t h m e . I t h i n k h e w a s l o o k i n g ex p re ss l y fo r s o m e e d i to rs to be from a Korean American or an Asian American background. There are so many specific details and nuances that would res- onate with the community that he wanted to be in dialogue, ideally, with somebody who understood and could translate some of those references. Reading the pilot script of "Beef," I started to recognize that this was a portrait of Korean Americans and Asian Americans in general that we hadn't seen before. It felt idiosyncratic and grounded and not neces- sarily dealing with the normal narratives that you see surrounding Asian Americans. These characters were complex in all the best ways, and not just admirable, but also really terrible in specific ways. I loved how balanced and human it felt. Originally, Sunny wanted me to work as a supervising editor, but unfortunately, the schedule got pushed enough where I had to leave earlier than I would've liked to start on a feature. Laura Zempel: I was most excited when I heard that Harry was going to be working on it. He and I worked together on season 1 of "Euphoria," and he's been a mentor to me. I really looked up to him, and I really trust his taste. . . . Harry did the pilot, and then he had to leave. I sort of inherited the pilot [as additional editor]. It was great be- cause Harry and I had a lot of trust already built in since we worked together before. CineMontage: What were the main challenges of cutting the pilot? Harry Yoon. WHEEL LIFE: Steven Yeun and Ali Wong in "Beef." P H O T O S : N E T F L I X