The Netflix series Beef returned for its second season on April 16, 2026, and while the show brings together heavyweights like Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Youn Yuh-jung, it is the breakout performance by Seoyeon Jang that has people talking. Playing Eunice, the sharp and clever assistant to the chairwoman, Jang holds her own against some of the biggest names in Hollywood. She recently opened up about how she landed the part, her journey from K-pop trainee to global star, and what it was like filming one of the season’s most talked-about physical comedy scenes.
How a Random Instagram Video Led Seoyeon Jang to Her Beef Role
For Seoyeon Jang, getting the role of Eunice felt like something out of a movie. The 31-year-old British-Korean actress was scrolling through Instagram just weeks before her audition when a clip from the first season of Beef appeared on her feed. She remembers thinking, “This is the kind of role I want to do.”
She told The Hollywood Reporter, “I think I indirectly manifested for it because I got the audition. I was so shocked because my manifestations don’t really happen.”
The timing turned out to be perfect. After finishing work on her previous U.S. project Butterfly, which opened doors for her internationally, the Beef audition arrived. She knew immediately this was the right part to introduce her to a wider audience.
From K-Pop Trainee to Netflix Star
Jang’s path to Hollywood is not the usual story. She moved from London to South Korea by herself at age 19 after being cast as a trainee by a major K-pop company. While she cannot name the agency, she spent her early adult years training to become an idol before slowly finding her true passion in acting.
“I loved K-dramas โ and I still do,” Jang explained. “Thinking like that limited me in the direction I wanted to go because nowadays, it’s a global stage. You can do both.”
She dropped the K-pop path and focused entirely on acting, working in Korean dramas for years. She never made a conscious decision to break into Hollywood. The opportunities simply came naturally, one after another.
Playing Eunice in Beef Season 2
In Beef Season 2, the setting moves to Monte Vista Point, a rich California country club owned by a Korean billionaire. Jang plays Eunice, the personal translator and assistant to Chairwoman Park, played by Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung. The season follows two couples whose lives get tangled after witnessing a fight, with everyone trying to win the approval of the powerful chairwoman.
Jang finds her character very relatable. Eunice is intelligent, flexible, and trying to survive in a tricky social environment.
“I feel like we all have those petty sides to ourselves,” Jang said. “It’s very refreshing to see these characters amplify that pettiness because we often have to hold our tongue in real life. It’s exhilarating and also a stress reliever.”
Eunice, despite going to international school, grew up in a Korean household. This duality is something Jang knows well from her own life. “My mom didn’t speak English, so she relied on us to do translations,” she shared. This background helped her bring real honesty to the role.
Working with Director Sonny Lee
Jang describes working with show creator and director Sonny Lee as a unique experience. She admits he is very hard to read, and she often found herself trying to figure out if he liked her performance. But that challenge also made her feel safe.
“Oftentimes, a lot of the things are left up to the actors, but sometimes that feels a little bit lonely and a little bit scary,” Jang explained. “Whereas working with Sonny, because he knew what he wanted exactly, I felt very safe to be on the ship and to have a captain that knew his direction.”
She laughed while admitting her main goal on set was simple. “I just wanted to make him happy.” She learned to watch for his subtle smile or a laugh to know she was on the right track.
The Physical Therapy Scene Everyone Is Talking About
One specific scene in the early episodes required Eunice to perform a physical therapy move where she had to split her legs and act completely casual about it. For Jang, this physical work was the best part of preparing for the role.
“There was a scene specifically written where Eunice has to split her legs up and just be so nonchalant about it,” Jang recalled. “That made me realize she’s clever. She’s really doing well for her life, and she’s flexible.”
She admitted with a laugh that she has not stretched a single day since filming wrapped. The scene shows Eunice’s willingness to go along with the strange demands of the wealthy club members while keeping her cool.
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A New Chapter for Korean Actors in Hollywood
Jang feels grateful and surprised to be part of a season that includes legends like Song Kang-ho (Parasite) and Youn Yuh-jung. She gets emotional thinking about how much has changed for Korean actors in the U.S.
“It’s something that I had never dreamed about, not just for myself, for any Korean actor,” she said. “I think times have changed, definitely. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”
Beef Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. The eight-episode season is available for viewers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide. The series also stars Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, William Fichtner, and K-pop artist BM in his acting debut.
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