Beef Season 2 swooshed into Netflix with even more chaotic drama that we didn’t know we needed. This time, there is no parking lot rage drama, but rather a country club setting. We’ve got power games, class divides, and ego clashes, all of which present a delicious platter of relationships gone wrong, money laundering, and greed.
Created by Lee Sung Jin, Beef once again brings together a stacked cast including Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny. At the center of all the tension, you meet people who seem composed on the outside but are anything but underneath. Humor and discomfort go hand in hand throughout the show as it finds both in the worst parts of human behavior.
Beef Season 2 has not compromised on the chaotic energy that made you fall in love with it in Season 1. However, this season also introduces certain characters who feel a bit more grounded than the rest. Eunice is one such character. She is played by actress Seoyeon Jang, and serves as the assistant to Chairwoman Park in the show. Eunice is a meticulous woman who is sharp and observant. She is a contrast to the people around her.
In Beef Season 2, everyone is performing a version of themselves, though Seoyeon Jang’s Eunice stands a bit outside of it. Her perspective lends the story a different tone. It becomes even more fascinating when you learn how Jang approached the role, especially that physical therapy scene.
Beef Season 2: Seoyeon Jang brings Eunice to life with instinct
Beef Season 2 gave Seoyeon Jang a role that felt like it was meant for her, even if she did not plan it that way. She had actually come across the show before auditioning for the role. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said:
“I remember thinking to myself, this is the kind of role that I want to do.”
Jang did not overcomplicate things when it came to playing Eunice in Beef. A lot of Eunice’s behavior, especially when she is translating or choosing not to, came from Jang’s own life. She grew up between cultures, so she understood that in-between space well. She used to translate for her mother when they first arrived in London. Speaking about this in the same interview, she said:
“It gets to the point where you’re like, ‘You don’t have to, there’s nothing worth translating.’ It’s so relatable.”
Seoyeon Jang also explained why Eunice from Beef feels so relatable. She is not exaggerated like some of the other characters. She is just trying to do her job and get through the day.
“I feel like we all have those petty sides to ourselves, and it’s very refreshing to see these characters amplify that pettiness because I feel we live in a world where we have to hold our tongue and really just get on with it rather than act in a way that we all want to deep down. It’s definitely exhilarating to see that and itself is very much a stress reliever for me. But playing a character that is normal is relatable because she’s just trying to stay inside her little society. She’s just trying to do her job, and she’s just trying to survive her own way. We are all trying to do our best, but the method is different. Eunice, despite having an educational background in international school, she was brought up in a Korean household like I was, and I think that does set a very different dynamic due to cultural differences.”
Beef Season 2 lets its characters act on impulses that people would usually suppress in real life. Ashley, for example, out of pure hatred for her boss and a desire for revenge, mixes her period blood into his juice. These moments may seem small but leave a strong impact. The physical therapy scene is another such moment where Eunice does not hold herself back. It all happens naturally, with Austin giving in too.
That particular scene in Beef stood out to Seoyeon Jang while reading the script. In it, Austin is supposed to demonstrate a physical therapy session to Chairwoman Park. However, she asks Eunice to try it instead. During the session, Austin asks Eunice to lift her leg, and slowly stretches it toward her chest. He tells her to let him know if it hurts, but Eunice remains unfazed. He continues until he is almost leaning over her, close to her face. It is a tense moment, especially since Austin already has a crush on her. He eventually gets nervous and stops. That is also when we get the hint that Eunice might feel something for him too.
Speaking about her character in Beef Season 2, the actress said:
“She’s a very intelligent character. She obviously had to go through a lot of competition and a lot of society stress. I have never worked in a company, or let alone the richest woman of South Korea, so that was a quality that I respected. Also just being a go getter of life, I feel like that’s something I have to improve on. Someone who’s able to put aside her own greed, her own thoughts at times, and just really push on, for whatever reason it is. That’s something that I wanted to portray because when you’re acting, you are allowed to become that person, right? It’s always a good feeling. When I first read the script, There was a scene specifically written where Eunice has to split her legs up and just be so nonchalant about it. That made me realize she’s clever. She’s really doing well for her life, and she’s flexible. She’s got it all. I love when I have to physically work and physically change for a role. That’s always the fun part of acting. Mind you, I haven’t stretched a day since.”
Coming from a K-pop trainee background and making her way through K-dramas, stepping into a global series like this was not something she had always imagined. But being on set, surrounded by an international cast, it reflects in her performance in Beef that she is ready for Hollywood and the global stage.
Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage.
Edited by Parishmita Baruah