Beef cast: All actors & characters in the Netflix series

Daisy Phillipson
Steven Yuen and Abi Wong face-to-face in a gallery in Beef.

With Beef Season 2 set to shoot in the near future with an all-new cast, here’s the actors who received such critical acclaim for Season 1, as well as the characters they play.

Rumors are circulating that Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny will play a couple in Beef Season 2, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal Anne Hathaway. Which has resulted in accusations of whitewashing due to Season 1 being largely filled with Asian-American actors.

That first series was critically acclaimed, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, as well as the Golden Globe, where stars Steven Yuen and Ali Wong also took home the acting awards.

The dynamic duo were the leads in an impressive ensemble, details of which can be found below, via a list of the main actors in Beef, as well as the characters they played.

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Beef cast and characters

Though the plot centres on its two main leads, there are plenty of important characters to take note of in the show, which is described in the official synopsis as a “darkly comedic and deeply moving series.”

We’ll take a look at the rundown of the main cast and characters in Netflix’s Beef below.

Steven Yeun: Danny Cho

Steven Yeun as Danny Cho in Netflix Beef

Steven Yeun plays the male lead Danny Cho, “a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder who goes head-to-head with Amy Lau.”

While speaking about the character, the actor said: “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, and I can relate to that.”

Yeun rose to fame as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead, having gone on to star in a number of titles including the 2018 thriller Burning and 2020 drama Minari. He has also been cast in the upcoming Marvel movie Thunderbolts.

Ali Wong: Amy Lau

Ali Wong as Amy Lau in Netflix Beef

Ali Wong plays the female lead Amy Lau, Cho’s road rage nemesis who is described as a “self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life.”

But things go awry for the character, as explained by the actress who said: “I think what really resonated with me was the rage that these two characters feel, especially for Amy, whose life is so seemingly perfect. You just never know what’s going on in someone’s head and in someone’s personal life.”

Wong is best known for bringing the laughs as a stand-up comedian, including her 2016 Netflix special Baby Cobra. 

Joseph Lee: George Nakai

Joseph Lee as George Nakai in Netflix Beef

Joseph Lee plays George Nakai, Amy’s emotionally unavailable husband and son of a wealthy designer.

According to Beef’s costume notes, though George’s wardrobe was carefully curated, Lee has a keen eye for fashion himself. So much so that it was “hard to tell which he was wearing when he came out of his trailer.”

Alongside his passion for fashion, Lee is a fine artist and made his acting debut in the 2018 mystery thriller Searching. 

Patti Yasutake: Fumi Nakai

Patti Yasutake as Fumi Nakai in Netflix Beef

Patti Yasutake plays Fumi Nakai, George’s mom whose successful background is one Amy constantly compares herself to. 

Star Trek fans will definitely recognize the name, as the actress portrayed the franchise’s Nurse Alyssa Ogawa. 

Young Mazino: Paul Cho

Young Mazino as Paul Cho in Netflix Beef

Young Mazino plays Paul Cho, Danny’s older brother who is physically more imposing yet “unable to mentally or emotionally dominate” his sibling. 

The actor says of his character: “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.”

Though he was formally trained as a musician, Mazino has always had an interest in acting and has taken on several roles in recent years, including in Fox’s TV series Prodigal Son.

David Choe: Isaac Cho

David Choe as Isaac Cho in Netflix Beef

David Choe plays Isaac Cho, Danny and Paul’s older cousin who is described as a “small-time criminal” with the gift of the gab. 

Choe is a master of many arts, including painting, music, and journalism.

Maria Bello: Jordan Forster

Maria Bello as Jordan Forster in Netflix Beef

Maria Bello plays Jordan Forster, another wealthy woman whose home improvement business Forsters is looking to take over Amy’s plant company.

You may know Bello from films such as A History of Violence, Coyote Ugly, and Lights Out, as well as TV shows like NCIS and Law & Order: SVU.

Ashley Park: Naomi Forster

Ashley Park as Naomi Forster in Netflix Beef

Ashley Park plays Naomi Forster, Jordan’s sister-in-law and a stay-at-home mum. Though Amy envies her lifestyle, Ashley suffers from loneliness and insecurities.

The actress is instantly recognisable for her all-singing, all-dancing role in Netflix’s Emily in Paris, not to mention her Broadway work.

Season 1 of Beef is available on Netflix, while you can head here for more shows heading to streaming.

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About The Author

Daisy is a Senior TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's a lover of all things macabre, whether that be horror, crime, psychological thrillers or all of the above. After graduating with a Masters in Magazine Journalism, she's gone on to write for Digital Spy, LADbible and Little White Lies. You can contact her on daisy.phillipson@dexerto.com