Netflix's 'BEEF' clinches 8 wins at Primetime Emmy Awards

Netflix drama “Beef,” created by a Korean American director and featuring Asian American actors, won eight trophies at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. This is another feat achieved by a series featuring Korean content in addition to “Squid Game,” in which Hwang Dong-hyuk and Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian director and actor to win Best Director and Best Actor titles.

“Beef” won eight trophies, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress in the Miniseries/TV Movie category, at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the U.S. on Monday.

“When I first came to LA, my bank account went into the negative by 63 cents, so I had to deposit a dollar to avoid the overdraft fee. And the ATM screen said, ‘Are you sure you want to deposit one dollar?’ said Director Lee in his acceptance speech. “I wasn’t sure of anything back then. I certainly wasn’t sure of holding something like this.”

Steven Yeun, who won the Best Actor Award for his role as Danny, the main character in ‘Beef,’ won the Emmy Award for the first time in his acting career. He defeated strong competitors such as Michael Shannon of ‘George and Tammy’ and Daniel Radcliffe of ‘Weird.’ “I have a lot of people to thank,” said a teary-eyed Yeun. Yeun also became the first Korean actor to win the Best Actor Award in the mini-series or TV Movie category at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Dec 7.

'Beef' depicts turmoil that unfolds when Danny, a second-generation Korean immigrant who feels nothing is going right for him, and Amy (Ally Wong), a self-made entrepreneur living a tight life, accidentally become involved in a road rage incident. A black comedy of 10 episodes, it was a hit, ranking in the top 10 on Netflix worldwide for five consecutive weeks since its release in April last year.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com