Ali Wong Revealed What It Was Like Filming Her First Dramatic Role In Netflix's "Beef," Including How Her Real House Influenced The Set

After working in the writer's room of Fresh off the Boat, performing three Netflix stand-up specials, and acting in sitcoms and comedies, Ali Wong is starring in her first dramatic lead role in A24's new series, Beef, on Netflix. In the dark dramedy, Ali plays Amy Lau — a self-made entrepreneur, wife, and mother — who finds herself in an increasingly high-stakes feud with Danny Cho — a failing contractor played by Steven Yeun — after a road rage incident. 

Now, to celebrate the release of Beef, Ali spoke with BuzzFeed about what it was like filming her first dramatic lead role, finally acting IRL alongside her Tuca & Bertie costar Steven Yeun, which scenes made her laugh the most, and more.

1. You've worked with Beef creator Lee Sung Jin (Sonny) and Steven Yeun before on Tuca and Bertie, where you and Steven voiced Bertie and Speckle, respectively. Were you excited to work with Steven on a live-action project?

I really didn't know what it was going to be like, because we had never been on camera together. We had already signed on to do this project together and developed it, so it was kind of a risk because we didn't know if we would have chemistry. We always had a lot of chemistry off camera, and I was so relieved after the first rehearsal. It was electric when we first read together. 

2. Beef has 10 thrilling episodes in total. Which was your favorite episode to film?

One of my favorite episodes to film was the finale, for sure, because it's just me and Steven the whole time. As you can see in the series, we're not together that much on camera. But when we are, it's really something else.

3. The finale was one of the most masterful episodes, especially with the voiceover effect where it’s unclear who's actually speaking anymore. Was that scene entirely scripted? Did you improvise at all during that scene or in the series?

We really didn't improvise that much on this show. We stuck to the script a lot. We didn't have the time or luxury to improvise that much because we were on a really tight schedule.

For the finale, we knew that [the voiceover effect] where you don’t know who’s talking was a possibility, so we actually filmed it in three different ways. I had to memorize both dialogues. Obviously, there's obviously a lot of things on this show that I've never done before, and it was really thrilling and scary. 

4. Speaking of scary, Sonny has said it’s taxing for any actor to 100% commit to a character like Amy, who is dark and struggling with existential dread. How was it getting into Amy’s headspace and making her feel real?

I really have to give credit to Sonny because I think I talked to him a lot in developing this project. And when there were scenes or dialogue or choices that Amy made that didn't feel honest or real to me, we would talk about it. Then, he would always revise it to something that felt more true to me. 

5. That definitely checks out. Each character in Beef has such a skillfully expressed internal world that really allows the viewer to humanize them and almost redeems their behaviors in the external world. I was surprised to find myself still sympathetic to every character, no matter how absurd or unhinged their actions got. As Amy became more emotionally reactive throughout the show, did your perception of her change or stay the same?

I kind of always understood Amy from the beginning. It's really more Steven’s character Danny that I didn't expect to feel so much for and feel so connected to by the end. I think that's probably really what surprised me, how much I came to really love Danny. When I look back at the pilot and see Steven’s performance, I find myself laughing so much.

6. What made you feel so connected to Danny in the end?

I think a lot of that has to do with the unique bond I have with Steven on and off screen, and also in Sonny's writing of Danny and how beautifully complicated, conflicted, interesting, and funny he is. I'm so excited for everyone to discover what I've known all along: that Steven is a very funny person. 

7. Steven’s portrayal of Danny is so funny, even when it’s not meant to be. There are scenes where he’s clearly just spiraling, but they still have an almost amusing quality to them — like when he can’t stop calling the real estate agent and just keeps leaving voicemail after voicemail. Its funny, but it's sad, too, because you know that he's so desperate. Which scenes did you find the funniest?

Oh my gosh, when he's in the pilot, eating all those Burger King sandwiches and then almost throws up but swallows and just keeps eating fries — so funny. I laughed so hard.

And then, in the church scene, when he starts to cry — that's a little bit sensitive. I pointed out to him that I laughed at that, and he was, at first, really taken aback and, I think, maybe a touch offended because to him, it was so real and so serious. But that's what made it so funny, you know?

8. While we visibly see Danny spiral throughout the series, Amy tries to maintain an illusion of control. She does what she thinks others expect her to do. Because she’s so repressed, a lot of your acting involved these near-imperceptible microexpressions that only the audience is really privy to. Did anything help you get into character and maintain this very restrained effect?

I had a lot of help from the head of costume. Helen is amazing because, for example, Amy would never wear something like this. I'm wearing a bright red suit right now that shows my midriff. She would never wear something like this. This is too loud. Amy wouldn't shop from Revolve, you know. She's very into Janessa Leone. She's very into wearing these warm, neutral colors and shapeless clothes that are more architectural and not body conscious.

From the beginning, Helen said to me, “I think it is so interesting if Amy wears these clothes that are seemingly zen and neutral, but then she has these insane thoughts.” So my costume already sort of felt like a cage in a way. And it wasn't supposed to feel like that — Amy chose those clothes, but it's like the person she wants to be and someone who she is not. 

BuzzFeed: That’s so fascinating. In listening to you describe your costume, it's like, if your outfit is very neutral and less expressive, it's something you can't be judged for. So it's also kind of protective for Amy in a way.

Right. It’s like people can’t be mean to you.

They’re also these clothes that are not ostentatious because they don't have a big designer label on them — but they are. Because an exclusive group of people who know what's up can tell from the placement of a button or the cut that that shirt is a $500 shirt that looks, to anyone else, like a burlap shirt. So, yeah, all those messages of the kind of class Amy wants to be associated with are weaved in there, and that was all really helpful.

9. We also hear George’s mother Fumi comment that the interior design of Amy and George’s home — that’s dominated by harsh lines and edges — could use some curves to humanize the space. She also points out that Amy designed the house. Does that also play into how Amy’s choices of expression, in her desire to be this person she thinks she should be, ultimately restrict her?

Yes, it was the same thing with the production designer, or art director, Grace. Oh my gosh, she's so amazing. So there are these wooden slats in Amy's house — you remember those?  — right by the staircase. And I have wooden slats in my house, as well.

A lot of Amy's house was inspired by my own personal home, and when I got to set, I was like, “Hmm, why do these wooden slats feel so different?” And Grace said, “Well, I spaced them out a little more so that while they are seemingly very zen, they also make your house feel like a cage."

So I just always had that feeling, once I got into costume and got to the set, where I felt like I was in a cage. But nobody else could see it or feel it but me, you know? And it made me feel a little alone. So I have to give credit to those people for really helping me get into character.

10. If anything, George’s art (and his father’s art) are the only “curved” things in the house. That being said, did you take anything from the set? Maybe one of George's vases or the Tamago chair?

I did, I did. I took one of George's vases. Let’s see, what else? I have Amy's glasses. I don't know if I'll ever wear them in real life. They're so different from the glasses that I choose to wear. Again, [her glasses] are so architectural and thin and tasteful and almost invisible and neutral. The glasses I wear are generally very oversized and a little more editorial.

BuzzFeed: As someone who has, as I like to put it, a wide Korean head, I love your big glasses. Oftentimes, the regular ones don’t fit right, and I don't want the arms sticking out to the sides.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I have the hugest head. [Laughs]

11. Here’s a simple question: Were you and Steven driving the cars at all yourselves during the road rage incident? Or did they have professional drivers come in for those scenes, like when Amy and Danny are running over the neighbor’s yard?

Yeah, that's not me. I cannot take credit for that. There are some parts that are really steady — like when you see us in the car, yes, we're driving. Our heads aren't CGI'd onto our bodies. But [during the actual road rage scenes], no, we are not. We're definitely not driving. 

12. Obviously, it's different to perform on stage as a comedian than to act in a dramatic series like this. Do you feel like this has influenced or informed your own perspective as a performer going forward?

Well, I will say that another part of committing to this character was that I didn't do stand-up for five to six months. It's the longest break by far that I've ever taken from doing stand-up. And I do have a deep fear of becoming weak as a stand-up. But then, I went up on stage immediately afterward and I’m about to go on tour, and I'm so excited because I feel like that break was really, really good for me.

Beef is so fulfilling, and I can't really articulate right now how it has directly manifested in my stand-up, but I am just really excited about doing stand-up now. I feel so changed by it in a good way.

You know, I certainly felt a difference after I worked on Fresh off the Boat in the writers room, because I learned so much about storytelling and structure from that. It was really informative. So I'm excited about how Beef has influenced my storytelling. 

13. What’s your usual stand-up routine (no pun intended) look like?

My normal habit is to do at least five sets a week, so I was really worried about that muscle atrophying because I'd never taken a break like that from stand-up. It is the kind of thing where you really do have to get your reps in.

Now, I'm going on tour next month: April, I'm going to Atlanta, Nashville, and Las Vegas. And in the summer, I'm off to see the Northwest — like Seattle — and then I go to New York. And I'm just really excited about how Beef has made me feel. It brought a lot of freshness and a new joy to stand-up.

14. Okay, this is more of a funsie question: Do you think that George and Amy could work out? They have such fundamental differences, from generational trauma to classism. Even when Amy tries to open up to George after therapy — though it’s admittedly only one incident — it doesn't go well.

That is such a good question. I don't know the answer to that. I do think that if George were to come to her after seeing everything that she's done and have more empathy for her, and understand that some of the uglier parts of Amy are never going to go away, and if he authentically does love the whole person that she is and can feel it, then yeah, I think they have a chance. 

BuzzFeed: I like them together. I also appreciated Fumi’s acknowledgment that they are complementary to each other, even if they're not always on the same page.

Oh my gosh, they really are like a perfect Instagram couple.

15. As you said earlier, Beef has brought you a lot of new experiences, from thrilling to scary, and a new joy to stand-up. What’s the biggest thing you’ve taken away from this project overall?

A24's Beef is now streaming on Netflix. If you haven't already seen it, what are you doing?