In this Beef Season 2 press conference, the cast and creator discuss the new Montecito setting, class dynamics, and the show’s deeper themes.
The highly anticipated second season of the award-winning anthology series Beef is now streaming on Netflix. In a press conference held on April 6, 2026, the creative team and stars of the new season gathered to discuss the series’ transition to a new setting – the world of a Montecito country club – and the introduction of a fresh cast of characters.
Creator, showrunner, and executive producer Lee Sung Jin led the conversation alongside stars Oscar Isaac (who plays Josh), Carey Mulligan (who plays Lindsay), and Charles Melton (who plays Austin). Together, they offered a rare glimpse into the intense collaborative process, the inspiration behind the show’s shift in tone, and the deep, often uncomfortable, exploration of class and generational dynamics that define this new chapter.
Beef Season 2 Press Conference
Moderator: Sonny, after the massive success of season one, what convinced you to return for a second season?
Lee Sung Jin: “It wasn’t until, again, the universe slapped me in the face with a real-life incident that the creative energies started flowing. I think you can’t write anything true in 2026 without tackling the variable of class. It’s just something that permeates every interaction, unfortunately.”
Moderator: Oscar and Carey, you two have worked together on multiple projects before. How did your shared history impact your dynamic as a couple in this season?
Oscar Isaac: “Being able to bring in to a certain extent that history, that shared past, and to have so much trust already, you know, it kinda means everything in those situations. I’ve never had that combination of somebody [like Sonny]that has so much kinda information available and thought, and at the same time, so much flexibility of new information coming in.”
Carey Mulligan: “It’s just so easy to act with Oscar because he’s not acting. I think when she [Lindsay] experiences power, it’s kind of thrilling because it’s so rare that really ultimately she is at the whim of everybody else.”
Moderator: Charles, how was it reconnecting with your Korean heritage while filming on location?
Charles Melton: “For me, when we all went to Korea, it was kind of like a big coming-home for me. There’s a goodness in everyone. And there’s a crossroads, I think, in life, many of times where you can either choose the right thing or the good thing for you.”
Moderator: Sonny, can you speak to the symbolism of the insects and the use of music this season?
Lee Sung Jin: “I think there’s enough context clues in the show to hopefully allow the audience to come up with their own interpretation. But, you know, they’re a hive mind group of bugs. And I’m hoping the bugs, the ants and bees, are that [middle ground for audience interpretation].”
Moderator: Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from the themes explored in this season?
Charles Melton: “Sometimes there’s external factors like the construct of capitalism and the need to have these external superficial things and how does that coincide with love and relationships.”
Oscar Isaac: “I guess I’d say maybe being able to watch it and recognize some behavior, you know, in these people, as awful as that might feel, and to have some kind of compassion for, you know, how humans behave in these kinds of situations.”
About Beef Season 2
BEEF returns with a new cast and a new “beef,” as a Gen-Z couple witnesses an alarming fight between their Millennial boss and his wife. Newly-engaged Ashley Miller (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin Davis (Charles Melton), both lower-level staff at a country club, become entangled in the unraveling marriage of their General Manager, Joshua Martín (Oscar Isaac), and his wife, Lindsay Crane-Martín (Carey Mulligan).
Through favors and coercion, both couples vie for the approval of the elitist club’s billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), who struggles to manage her own scandal involving her second husband, Doctor Kim (Song Kang-ho).
Beef Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.