Netflix’s original series Beef has achieved a historic victory at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, marking a significant milestone for Asian American representation in the entertainment industry. The show, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, won the award for Best Television Limited Series, becoming the first series created by and starring Asian Americans to win in this category. Wong and Yeun won Best Actress and Best Actor respectively.
Wong is the first actress of Asian descent to win in her category whilst Yeun is the second in his, after Darren Criss in 2019.
The series, which delves into the aftermath of a road rage incident between Yeun’s and Wong’s characters, has been lauded for its authentic portrayal of Asian American experiences.
In his acceptance speech, creator Lee Sung Jin humorously remarked, “This dude in a white SUV honked and yelled at me. And for some reason, on this day, I was like, ‘Eh, I’m gonna follow you.’ It was very anticlimactic and very stupid on my part, but it did lead to this award. So I would be remiss to not thank this man; I hope he honks and yells, inspiring others for years to come.”
Both Ali Wong and Steven Yeun also secured individual Golden Globes for their performances. Upon receiving her award, Wong delivered a heartfelt speech, emphasizing that the friendships forged with the cast and crew of “Beef” were the most cherished outcome of the project. She also expressed gratitude towards her ex-husband, Justin Hakuta, acknowledging his support in her journey as a working mother.
Beef had more reasons to celebrate, with Steven Yeun, who played Danny Cho, winning the Best Actor category. Yeun’s victory marked him as the second actor of Asian descent to win in this category, following Darren Criss’s win in 2019. In his acceptance speech, Yeun said: “The story I usually tell to myself is one of isolation and separateness. And then you come up here and you have this moment and you can only just think about everyone else. And that feels like the plot of Frozen.
“I’m just so thankful. I am just the recipient of a long line of compassionate love and protection and goodwill so, I appreciate this.”
Despite its success, Beef has faced controversy due to past comments by cast member David Choe. Addressing this, the show’s creators and lead actors stated, “The story David Choe fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing. We do not condone this story in any way, and we understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering.”
Beef is expected to continue its successful run in the awards season, having already clinched two Gotham Independent Film Awards.
