The actor’s mother, Sukyong Melton, also voices his character’s mother in the show
Credit: Manny Carabel/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Charles Melton said his Korean upbringing inspired the way he approached his role in Beef season 2
- “I grew up in Korea for six years,” the actor told PEOPLE
- His mother, Sukyong Melton, also voices his character’s mother in Beef season 2, which was released on Netflix on April 16
*Spoiler Warning for Beef season 2 episode 8*
Charles Melton feels it's a "privilege" to get to explore "all the facets" of Korean culture in the second season of Netflix's Beef.
The actor, 35, plays Austin, who is biracial with a Korean mother and a white father, just like his real-life parents, Sukyong and Phil Melton.
While at the Beef season 2 screening at Regal Union Square in New York City on April 15, Charles exclusively told PEOPLE about how his upbringing led him to approach the role of Austin.
"It's such a privilege and honor to be a part of the story that [creator Lee Sung Jin is] bringing to life, and what he wanted to do with going to Korea and exploring all the facets of just the Korean culture and Austin being caught between, you know, being Korean American from the east, from the west," Charles said.
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
"I think it's, like, all subconscious, right?" he added. "There's not really any specific things, but if technically, I'd say something that came into the work was … I mean, I grew up in Korea for six years, and unlike Austin, I had a very Korean experience and upbringing."
Season 2 of the Emmy-winning series — which also stars Cailee Spaeny as Austin's fiancée, Ashley, Oscar Isaac as Austin’s boss, Josh, and Carey Mulligan as Josh’s wife, Lindsay — ultimately examines the divide between class as well as American and Korean cultures.
Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
In episode eight of the new season, Austin goes with Ashley and Lindsay to Korea to meet with Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung).
"Beef season 2 for me was coming home," Charles previously told PEOPLE about filming on location in Korea.
However, Charles also felt like he differed from his character in terms of their identity.
"Austin is discovering and talks about epigenetics, what it is, and this [idea of] 'Korean-ness,' " he explained.
"That wasn't so much my experience," Charles said. "I grew up in Korea and lived in Korea for six years. So my experience is the Korean and American experience." He noted that Austin relies on his American identity, and this reflects in the way Ashley views him as just an "Arizonian."
The May December actor also said that getting to work with the series’ creator, who he calls "Sonny," was an experience that "meant a lot." He noted that Sonny's "mentors" (Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon Ho) are among his "favorite filmmakers."
"Sonny's sentiments and his artistic genius are reminiscent of [Park and Bong]," Charles said. "We see it in his work and his show, his writing and his direction." He credits Sonny and how "his voice is continuing to establish and cement itself in cinema."
Charles’ mother, Sukyong, also played his mother in the show.
"She got in that ADR [Automated Dialogue Replacement] booth and gave a performance of a lifetime," Sonny, 44, explained, as she is heard on phone calls in the later episodes.
Sukyong was born and raised in Korea before moving to the U.S. in 1990 and marrying Phil. She became a U.S. citizen when Charles was in middle school.
Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
While Charles was promoting May December, he frequently brought Sukyong with him to awards events.
"Who wouldn't want their mom to be with them?" he told PEOPLE in February 2024. “She'll always tell me, no matter how old I get, I'm always going to be her baby, Charles: ‘I don't care if you have a house, and you're paying bills, and you have kids, you'll always be my baby.' ”
“The best part was my mom making me breakfast, lunch and dinner, and just taking care of me,” he added in another interview the following month. “You don't get that much sleep. But I just had my sister and my mom along the way [and] my publicist, who I love dearly."
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All episodes of season 2 of Beef are available to stream on Netflix.
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