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Why Did the Beef Showrunner Lie About His Favorite Movie for Years? Lee Sung Jin Reveals
Lee Sung Jin revealed to PEOPLE magazine that he went on to lie about his favorite film early on in his career, and that his decision to be true to himself yielded his most successful series, Beef.
Lee Sung Jin, the brain behind the critically acclaimed mini-series Beef, confessed that he had lied about his favorite film early on in his career. While his answer to the question was the Bill Murray and Chevy Chase starrer Caddyshack, Lee said that it was done in attempts to assimilate into the American crowd as a Korean immigrant as he was breaking into the entertainment industry as a writer.
Lee Sung Jin speaks on early habits of 'over-assimilation'
For Lee, assimilating into the writer space came at a cost. The pressure to fit in with his colleagues meant that he would have to switch his likings and dislikings to other’s opinions.“I would say Caddyshack because I heard that from other working White male writers,” he told PEOPLE magazine, further adding that he did not necessarily enjoy the film and answering the question with Caddyshack felt “disingenuous” to his real identity.
“I contorted myself to try to fit what other people wanted of me, not only in my writing but in my daily life,” said the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia screenwriter about self-imposing certain rules to be part of the crowd. Soon enough, he would find himself trying to “over-assimilate, over people please” to the point where he would lie about his favorite film.
This changed over time, through therapy and self-introspection. Calling the critically acclaimed dark comedy Beef, which has racked up 9 Emmy Awards, the most “me” thing he has ever written, he said that it impacted how he further chose his projects. Therefore, he ensured that every voice was being heard in the room.
A spotlight at Lee Sung Jin's career
Lee, who is Korean American, started off as an investment banker, fresh as an economics major from the University of Pennsylvania. Soon after, as the writer-director understood that he would much rather take up some creative pursuits, he worked at temporary jobs in New York City and Los Angeles while also learning TV scripting and more.
He got his big break as a screenwriter on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, after which he went on to create Beef. Inspired by a road rage incident from real life, he helmed the mini-series which went on to win many accolades. It stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong in the lead roles.
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