[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Actress Youn Yuh-jung spoke lightheartedly about playing a relationship with a man 20 years her junior.
In an interview with W Korea released on the 23rd, Youn Yuh-jung discussed behind-the-scenes stories from filming the Netflix series 'BEEF Season 2' and her philosophy as an actress.
In 'BEEF Season 2,' Youn Yuh-jung plays Chairwoman Park, the billionaire owner of an elite country club. Song Kang-ho appears as Dr. Kim, Chairwoman Park's second husband, and the two actors worked together in the series.
Youn Yuh-jung cited the character's unusual setup—one rarely seen in Korean productions—as one of the reasons she decided to join the project. "What I found particularly fun was playing opposite a man 20 years younger than me," she said. "No Korean director would offer me a role like that."
"So I thought, 'This is another way America differs from Korea,' and I was happy to do it. I thought it was refreshing," she explained.
Then, in her characteristically candid manner, she said, "Just as wealthy men date young women, wealthy women can have young men too, can't they? Why not?" before bursting into laughter.
She also expressed her deep trust in director Lee Seong-jin. Youn Yuh-jung said she had many discussions with him about the character before filming began, explaining, "I don't like continuing to debate with the director on the spot during filming. Can't you talk things through with the director sufficiently beforehand?"
Youn Yuh-jung, who has turned 80, also admitted that her attitude toward acting has changed. "I'm 79 by the international age count, but in Korea they call it turning 80. Now that I've turned 80, I find myself thinking, 'I've been doing this for a long time,'" she said calmly. "Every time I take on a project, I do it with the thought that this could be my last."
She also recalled a scene she filmed with Carey Mulligan. When Mulligan felt sorry about having to act as though she was pushing Youn Yuh-jung, Youn reassured her, saying, "It was something we had to act out, and people were supporting me from behind. It was a scene we could do safely from a technical standpoint."
"I trusted Lee Seong-jin, Carey Mulligan trusted me, and I trusted Carey Mulligan," she added, emphasizing the trust between the actors and the production team during filming.
Meanwhile, 'BEEF Season 2' is an anthology series created by director Lee Seong-jin. The cast includes Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. Youn Yuh-jung was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award in the Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category at the 2026 Emmy Awards for her role as Chairwoman Park.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
