Sorry to the rest of the hungry limited series Emmy field; All major cuts went to Netflix's “Beef.” It won all the top awards in its category, including limited series, writing, directing and lead actor, and for Ali Wong, scoring a historic win for lead actress. Fittingly, for a show that was often labeled as a comedy, creator, writer and director Lee Sung Jin's series acceptance speech spoke to the deeper flavors of “Beef” with a touch of humor.
“A lot of the suicidal ideation on the show was based on things that I and some people here have struggled with over the years. I am truly grateful and humbled by everyone who watched the show and spoke about their personal struggles. It's very heartwarming, so thank you,” he said, surrounded by the show's key talent on the Emmys stage. “I feel like we live in a world designed to keep us apart. Even here, some of us come home with trophies and some of us don't. For some of us, when we live in a world like this, we begin to think that there is no way anyone can understand or like you, much less even that there is no potential to be loved.
“The greatest joy of working on 'Beef' has really been working with the people here who love so unconditionally, so thank you to them… and lastly, everything I do is for my three dogs. “So the Federal Drug Administration, if they could fast-track that canine anti-aging pill, that would be wonderful.”
When Ali Wong took the stage at the Peacock Theater to accept the Emmy for Lead Actress with the steady hand of her boyfriend Bill Hader, she entered uncharted territory. She became the first woman of Asian descent to win a lead acting award at the Emmys.
“I wouldn't be here without my wonderful parents: my father, who I wish were alive to share this moment with me. My hilarious father, who loved me unconditionally and taught me the value of failure. To my beautiful daughters, Mari and Miki,” he said in a broken voice, “you are my everything and thank you for inspiring me, and this is for you.”
San Francisco-born Wong made a name for herself as a comedian with hit Netflix specials (like “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife”). She landed leading roles in the romantic comedy “Always Be My Maybe,” alongside Randall Park. But none of those projects achieved the acclaim of “Beef.”
In “Beef,” Wong plays Amy, a small business owner (and wife and mother) on the verge of closing a major deal that would make her a billionaire. She comes into conflict with Steven Yeun's Danny, a hustling contractor who's not averse to shady deals, when they have a minor accident that quickly turns into full-blown road rage. The series explores how her inability to let go of perceived slights sabotages their lives and the lives of those around them (when those around them aren't causing much harm themselves). It's not exactly a laugh fest, but the hard-to-categorize show led the limited series field with 13 Emmy nominations.
Several Asian-American actors have earned Daytime Emmy Awards (Jodi Long of “Dash & Lily,” Karrueche Tran of “The Bay”), and several Asian and Asian-American actors have earned Primetime Emmy nominations. Sandra Oh, who is Canadian of Asian descent, has been nominated 13 times, including as executive producer of the drama series “Killing Eve.” She was the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated in a lead acting category, for “Killing Eve” in 2018. British Asian actor Archie Panjabi became the first actress of Asian descent to win an Emmy for supporting work. in the drama series. “The Good Wife” in 2010.
Emmy voters agreed that Wong's work wasn't the only thing well done about “Beef.” Creator and executive producer Lee won three Emmy Awards in one night.
On stage to accept the writing award, he said: “First of all, thank you to the [other] writers. We wrote this over Zoom, which is the healthiest way to communicate. Thank you for pushing that.”
Accepting the directing award, Lee recalled how difficult things were for him when he arrived in Hollywood: “When I first moved to Los Angeles, my bank account had a negative balance of 63 cents, so I had to deposit a dollar bill in my account to avoid the overdraft fee. And the ATM screen said, 'Are you sure you want to deposit a dollar?' And I said, 'No,'” he said, smiling, as the Peacock Theater audience laughed. “He wasn't sure about anything back then, and he certainly wasn't sure about holding something like this.”
The series' other big winner was Steven Yeun, whose roles as lead actor and executive producer earned him two Emmy Awards. He is the second Asian-American to win the award for lead actor in a limited series: Darren Criss won in 2018 for “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” Riz Ahmed, of British-Pakistani origin, also won in the “The Night of” category in 2017.
Accepting the lead actor award for his portrayal of con man Danny, Yeun thanked someone unexpected: set photographer Andrew Cooper. “There were days when it was difficult to live in Danny's skin. Sometimes I wanted to judge him. Sometimes I wanted to make fun of him. AND [Cooper] He took me aside and said, 'Never leave Danny.' And thanks. And I wanted to thank Danny for teaching me that judgment and shame are lonely places. But compassion and grace is where we can all find each other.”
