The four couples at the heart of BEEF Season 2’s cast initially seem completely disparate. But, over the course of eight episodes, they morph into one Russian nesting doll of desire, scandal, and violence.
Inertia and resentment have stalled millennials Josh (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsay’s (Carey Mulligan) dreams of opening a B&B on their Ojai property. Gen Z Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) are wrapped in a codependent swaddle, blind to how little they actually know about each other. Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), a Korean mogul from the Silent Generation, deems boomer Dr. Kim (Song Kang-ho) a breezy companion with whom to enjoy the luxury her bank account affords — until a tragic accident jeopardizes their future. Boomer Troy (William Fichtner) can’t believe his luck in marrying millennial Ava (Mikaela Hoover), and the two indulge in all that Monte Vista Point has to offer. This is just the tip of the iceberg of characters — and real-world celebrity cameos — circling the country club.
They weave an intricate web at the glossy country club where Season 2 takes place, posing questions about money, identity, and hope. “Each generation starts off thinking that they’ll never become what they see in the older generation,” says Lee Sung Jin, BEEF creator, showrunner, and executive producer. “But with the passage of time and the pressures of capitalism, each generation soon discovers why the older generations are the way they are. With each passing generation, it becomes harder and harder to just get by.”
When Austin and Ashley unwittingly witness a violent row between Josh and Lindsay, it triggers chess moves of coercion that threaten each relationship’s equilibrium — and lives around the globe. So who is beefing with whom — and why? Take apart the Russian doll and meet the starry cameos in BEEF Season 2, now streaming on Netflix. And when you’re done, watch the actors make sense of their roles on BEEF: The Official Podcast.
Josh is the general manager of Monte Vista Point, a prestigious country club. He lives in Ojai with his wife, Lindsay. When two younger employees witness an explosive argument between them, it starts a chain of events that exposes Josh’s deepest character flaws — as well as his scheme to siphon money out of the club.
“Josh is trying to keep all the club members happy and loves being the guy who can say, ‘I got you, man,’ ” says Lee. “At home, he’s underwater financially. His marriage is on the rocks, and he is just trying to keep that alive. But it’s proving more and more difficult with each passing year.”
Ex Machina, Inside Llweyn Davis
Lindsay has worked for millennial juggernauts like Oliver Peoples and Soho House but now spends her time working as a interior designer. She comes from a prestigious English family, which you might have guessed from the name of her dachshund: Burberry. With her marriage falling apart and her dreams slipping away, Lindsay hits her midlife crisis like a brick wall.
“For me, Season 2 taps into what impression you make while you are here, or the sense of achievement,” says the Academy Award–nominated Mulligan. “Are you defined by your relationships? Your career? Your status? Money? What makes you a person? At what point in your life can you settle on what you’ve got?”
An Education, Promising Young Woman
Austin is a former college football player who now works part-time at the country club and as a freelance personal trainer. More often than not, he can be found sporting very short athletic shorts. He and Ashley rarely fight, but once they get entangled with Josh and Lindsay, cracks begin to surface, and the lies and arguments slowly compound.
“He’s walking this fine line of his own codependency and trying to do the right thing as he’s seeing different layers of his partner,” says Melton.
With Austin, Lee was interested in exploring a character who is half Korean. “Because my daughter is half Korean and several writers in the writers room are half Asian, we thought it would be interesting to feature a half Korean character in Austin, who struggles with identity issues he’d never considered before having a child with his white fiancée, Ashley,” says Lee.
Warfare, The Sun Is Also a Star
Ashley works the beverage cart at the country club and is engaged to her boyfriend of a year and a half, Austin. Feeling cheated by the system and needing health insurance to cover an emergency surgery, Ashley and her fiancé leverage the domestic dispute they witnessed between Josh and Lindsay to improve their financial situation.
“Ashley is fearful of not having the future that she always thought she was going to have and thought she deserved,” says Spaeny. “Once she gets that first taste, there’s no end to it. That obsession drives her crazy, and we’re watching her unravel.”
Alien: Romulus, Civil War
Chairwoman Park is the extremely intimidating new owner of the country club. She’s a woman of a lot of money but few words, which makes sense since she’s of the Silent Generation.
“We explored Korean Americans in Season 1, but we didn’t really get to explore native Koreans,” says Lee of casting Youn, who won an Oscar for 2020’s Minari.
Minari, The Housemaid, Pachinko
Eunice is Chairwoman Park’s bright Gen Z interpreter. From Tokyo to London to Soeul, she’s lived all over the world. She helps Austin explore his Korean heritage.
Butterfly, Snowdrop, Doctor Lawyer
Dr. Kim is Chairwoman Park’s boomer second husband and a world-renowned plastic surgeon. They’ve curated a life of endless summer for themselves, with lavish dinners, luxurious travel, and country club outings. But his denial of a worsening hand tremor leads to a mishap on the operating table that the chairwoman must cover up.
“As a fan of Korean cinema, working with Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho was a bucket-list dream for me,” says Lee.
Memories of Murder, The Host, Parasite
Woosh is the Gen Z tennis pro at Monte Vista Point, who covertly sells expensive Korean skin care. Thankfully for Woosh, he has a willing customer base in the rich women he trains and flirts with.
Kim, also known as BM (Big Matthew), is the lead rapper and dancer of the beloved K-pop group KARD. With BEEF, he makes his acting debut.
Troy, a boomer, is a wealthy country club member who can’t believe his luck to be married to the much-younger Ava. He has strong connections to the music industry and owns a chalet and private plane.
“There’s an ease [with which Troy moves through Monte Vista Point],” says Fichtner. “To be so comfortable in the club, I don’t think Troy has a lot of drama in his life.”
Crash, Drive Angry, Black Hawk Down
Ava is a millenial and married to Troy. She spends her days ogling Woosh, the tennis pro, and helping to plan fundraisers for charities like Save the Frogs. She enjoys the access, amenities, and rarefied social strata of the country club.
When Hoover first got the script, she created a backstory for Ava: “She was a romantic, loved Disney movies, wanted that romantic Prince Charming love,” says Hoover. “She has to make the decision: Does she want to keep getting her heart broken or does she want to be married and taken care of and have that easier life?”
Hoover purposefully spoke in a higher register for Ava, to communicate how she’s compartmentalized some of the hard things she’s experienced.
Superman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Multiple famous faces appear throughout BEEF Season 2 as fictionalized versions of themselves. Those celebrity cameos are:
