When Carey Mulligan began preparing for her role as Lindsay in the acclaimed Netflix anthology series Beef, she brought a unique perspective to the script’s often volatile exchanges. Creator Lee Sung Jin, who describes the second season as a blend of The Sopranos and Ingmar Bergman, charts a darkly comedic and intensely personal conflict between Oscar Isaac’s country club manager, Josh, and Mulligan’s character, his wife, Lindsay. Mulligan, however, felt that some of the written obscenities leaned too heavily into American vernacular. "I wrote Sonny [Lee] a list of really awful British swear words," Mulligan revealed, "just all the shit things that we say to each other. I was like, ‘I should definitely call someone a cunt.’" This candid admission highlights Mulligan’s commitment to authenticity, even in the face of extreme characterization, and underscores a subtle yet significant aspect of her performance: the infusion of her own cultural nuances into a role that demanded both raw emotion and sharp comedic timing.
The opportunity to delve into the messy, hilarious, and often poignant world of Beef arrived shortly after Mulligan concluded the promotional cycle for Bradley Cooper’s Maestro. Her role as Felicia Montealegre Bernstein in the black-and-white Leonard Bernstein biopic required a profound depth of subtle performance, culminating in the depiction of a slow, agonizing death. For years, Mulligan had cultivated an image as a "Serious Actress," a title she had earned through a distinguished career encompassing British period dramas, Coen Brothers-esque indies, and impactful stories exploring the origins of the suffragette and #MeToo movements. With three Oscar nominations already to her name, she had seemingly achieved every milestone within the realm of prestige filmmaking. Yet, she had never fully explored the genre of comedy, and her on-screen persona rarely mirrored the vivacious, "naughty" spirit that her friend and frequent collaborator, Emerald Fennell, describes. Beef presented an ideal platform to showcase this hitherto unseen facet of her personality.
Mulligan’s enthusiasm for the role was palpable. "I was delighted that she punches someone in the face," she stated, speaking over breakfast at the iconic Hotel Bel-Air. Despite her current location, sleep proved elusive, a common consequence of jet lag for the London-based actress, who is mother to three children with musician Marcus Mumford. Her scrolling through photos of her family during the night offered a stark contrast to the intense on-screen drama. It was a specific plot point in Beef that truly captivated her: an episode five sequence where her character is tasked with killing a coyote. "I called my agent immediately and was like, ‘There’s this fucking bit with a coyote, I’ve got to do it.’" This visceral reaction speaks volumes about Mulligan’s appetite for challenging and unexpected material, a departure from the more restrained roles that had defined much of her earlier career.
The narrative of Beef‘s second season picks up with a dynamic that echoes the first season’s explosive road rage incident. However, the stakes are amplified as the escalating feud between Mulligan’s Lindsay and Isaac’s Josh is caught on video by Josh’s Gen Z employees, portrayed by Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. This digital evidence grants them leverage over a couple who seemingly possess all the markers of success – wealth, status, and the illusion of happiness. The recording quickly unravels the carefully constructed facade of Lindsay and Josh’s seemingly perfect lives, exposing the deep-seated resentments and insecurities that fuel their destructive dynamic. For viewers who have long associated Mulligan with her "Serious Actress" persona, Beef offers a significant and revelatory shift.
A Career Trajectory: From "Serious Actress" to Genre-Bending Force
Carey Mulligan’s journey in Hollywood has been marked by a deliberate cultivation of roles that demand emotional depth and thematic resonance. Her early career was distinguished by a series of critically acclaimed performances in films like An Education (2009), which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. This breakout role, portraying a bright young student lured into a relationship with an older man, showcased her ability to convey vulnerability and intelligence simultaneously. The film’s unexpected success propelled Mulligan into the spotlight, a transition she navigated with a notable degree of discretion, managing to evade the more intrusive aspects of the celebrity industrial complex.
Following An Education, Mulligan continued to seek out projects that challenged her and offered substantial character arcs. Her involvement in films such as Never Let Me Go (2010), Drive (2011), and The Great Gatsby (2013) demonstrated her versatility and her willingness to explore complex human relationships. These roles often placed her in nuanced portrayals of women grappling with societal expectations, personal desires, and the consequences of their choices.
A significant turning point in her career was her collaboration with director Emerald Fennell on Promising Young Woman (2020). This provocative revenge thriller, where Mulligan played a woman seeking retribution for her friend’s sexual assault, was a bold departure. The film’s dark humor, unflinching portrayal of trauma, and Mulligan’s powerhouse performance garnered widespread critical acclaim and a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Fennell, who has become a close friend and frequent collaborator, describes Mulligan as possessing a unique duality: "Like all the people I love, she is hot and cold. I don’t mean alternately – I mean she is simultaneously a blast of sunshine with an icy stillness." This description perfectly encapsulates Mulligan’s ability to convey both warmth and a steely resolve, traits that are essential to her portrayal of Lindsay in Beef.
Mulligan’s work in films like Suffragette (2015) and She Said (2022) further solidified her reputation for engaging with significant social and feminist themes. These roles often required extensive research and a deep understanding of historical contexts, further cementing her status as a performer committed to impactful storytelling. However, Beef represents a conscious pivot towards exploring more comedic and less overtly dramatic material, allowing her to tap into a different range of her acting abilities.
Early Life and the Genesis of an Acting Ambition
Born in London, Carey Mulligan’s upbringing was comfortable and intellectually stimulating, though not within the rarefied circles of the entertainment industry. Her mother, a university lecturer of Welsh descent, and her father, who rose from humble beginnings to manage a hotel, instilled in her a strong work ethic and an appreciation for the arts. Regular trips to the theatre, facilitated by her mother, likely sowed the seeds of her acting aspirations. A pivotal moment occurred when Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, visited her high school to discuss acting, an encounter that solidified Mulligan’s desire to pursue drama school.
Her initial attempts to enter prestigious conservatories like RADA, Guildhall, and LAMDA were met with rejection. This early setback, however, did not deter her. "It actually didn’t feel like the end of the world because I saw how competitive it was," she reflected. Her choice of a Sarah Kane monologue about suicide for her audition pieces, while powerful, was not conducive to broad appeal, a testament to her early inclination towards challenging, less conventional material.
Following her parents’ suggestion, Mulligan enrolled to study English at another university. During her gap year, she worked in a pub and actively sought auditions, reaching out to Julian Fellowes for guidance. Through his wife, Emma, Mulligan was introduced to a casting agent who was holding open calls for a new adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. This opportunity led to her playing Kitty Bennet, a role that arrived just before her university studies were set to begin. This initial success served as a springboard, leading to stage work at London’s Royal Court Theatre, a role in the BBC’s Bleak House, and an appearance on Doctor Who. "By that point, I realized, ‘Oh, this is probably my job,’" she recalled, acknowledging the gradual but persistent unfolding of her acting career. Her initial expectations were modest: supporting roles in television, theatre, and minor film parts.
The "An Education" Phenomenon and the Disorientation of Fame
The trajectory of Mulligan’s career dramatically shifted with the lead role in An Education. What began as a microbudget British film about a May-December romance, characterized by its humble "craft service [being] a tea and a packet of biscuits," rapidly gained critical acclaim. The film’s success culminated in a surprise Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for Mulligan, thrusting her into the global spotlight. The ensuing awards season, a whirlwind of red carpets and public appearances alongside esteemed actresses like Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, and Sandra Bullock, proved disorienting for the then-young actress. She described feeling uncomfortable in her own skin and the entire process as "freakish."
Mulligan found a grounding force in motherhood. "Having my first child fixed that for me," she explained. "Suddenly standing around in your pants is not so awful because you’ve done way worse in front of doctors and midwives." Her return to the Oscars in 2024 for Maestro offered a contrasting experience. She arrived late due to traffic and ended up watching the ceremony from the wings with the theater staff. This vantage point provided a different perspective: "I had this vantage point of the audience, and I was looking out at all these brilliant artists, and it was actually just a group of people I’ve known for a long time." This sentiment suggests a newfound ease and comfort with the industry, a maturation that likely informs her bold choices in projects like Beef.
The Genesis of the "Beef" Collaboration and the Pursuit of Authentic Vulgarity
The creative partnership between Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac on Beef is built upon a prior professional encounter. They first met on the set of the 2010 neo-noir action film Drive, where Mulligan starred opposite Ryan Gosling, and Isaac played her estranged husband. Mulligan recounted staying in director Nicolas Winding Refn’s house during the demanding night shoots in downtown Los Angeles. Isaac fondly recalled their initial meeting: "The first time I ever met Carey was in Nick’s living room before we started shooting, and I remember it was exciting because we were both young and really on the cusp of something." He humorously added, "That feeling lasted about a week, and then we became jaded. But it was great." This shared history, though brief, likely contributed to the palpable chemistry and understanding between them as they navigated the complex marital dynamic in Beef.
Mulligan’s personal life has also been a subject of public interest, particularly her marriage to musician Marcus Mumford, frontman of Mumford & Sons. They reconnected at a concert in Nashville when Mulligan was 25, after having known each other for years through their families. Their swift marriage a year later was perceived by some as young, but Mulligan dismissed this, stating, "Well, we’ve known each other forever, so it doesn’t count." Despite their high-profile careers, they strive to maintain a degree of privacy. Mulligan’s participation in Saturday Night Live with Mumford offered a glimpse into their supportive dynamic, where her role was simply to offer encouragement.
The Beef writers’ room grappled with the authenticity of dialogue, particularly in depicting the raw, unfiltered arguments between the central couple. Mulligan’s suggestion to incorporate more distinctly British expletives aimed to imbue the dialogue with a specific cultural flavor, moving beyond what she perceived as overly Americanized insults. This desire for linguistic authenticity reflects a broader trend in television and film to move away from generic profanity towards more character-specific and culturally resonant language. The series creator, Lee Sung Jin, recognized Mulligan’s keen ear for genuine emotion and dismissive of superficiality. "What’s incredible about Carey is that her radar for bullshit is the most precise I’ve ever seen in my life," Lee stated. This keen insight was evident even in seemingly minor moments, such as Mulligan’s reaction to an errant napkin hitting her face during a scene, which she played with a grounded realism that amplified the comedic effect.
Unpacking the "Beef" Dynamic: The Coyote, the Confrontation, and the Underlying Desperation
The narrative arc of Beef is driven by a palpable sense of desperation, a feeling that if characters can just attain one more thing – a new job, a new face, a baby – their lives will finally fall into place. This theme resonates deeply with Mulligan’s character, Lindsay, who, alongside Josh, embodies this pervasive human yearning. The show’s willingness to explore these grounded, personal anxieties sets it apart from more abstract explorations of the human condition.
Mulligan’s own experiences have, by her account, been less defined by this singular pursuit. Raised in a comfortable, intellectually rich environment outside London, her parents, a university lecturer and a hotel manager, provided a stable foundation. Their non-industry background likely contributed to Mulligan’s grounded perspective. Art was accessible through frequent theatre visits, and a talk by Julian Fellowes at her high school proved instrumental in her decision to pursue acting.
Her early career was not without its challenges. Rejection from top drama schools like RADA, Guildhall, and LAMDA did not derail her ambition. Instead, it fueled a pragmatic approach, leading her to study English at another university and take a gap year dedicated to gaining practical experience and pursuing auditions. This period of resilience and self-advocacy laid the groundwork for her eventual success.
The specific scene involving the coyote in Beef served as a powerful catalyst for Mulligan’s commitment to the role. The act of killing the animal in cold blood, while shocking, represented a visceral and uninhibited expression of her character’s rage and desperation. This willingness to embrace extreme actions reflects a growing trend in television to push boundaries and explore the darker, more volatile aspects of human behavior. The physical confrontation scenes between Mulligan and Isaac were meticulously rehearsed, a testament to the actors’ dedication to portraying the raw, escalating animosity between their characters. Mulligan’s personal confrontation style—silence in person, but passionate rants when absent—contrasts with the explosive physical violence depicted on screen, highlighting the dramatic license taken to externalize internal conflict.
The Subtlety of Performance: Nuance in the Face of Outrage
Lee Sung Jin’s directorial approach to Beef emphasizes grounding the heightened reality of the narrative in authentic emotional responses. He lauded Mulligan’s ability to convey a spectrum of emotions with subtle gestures and facial expressions. "I sent her numerous texts to be like, ‘How do you do this?’ And she was like, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’" he recalled with amusement. This indicates a natural talent for nuanced performance that often transcends conscious effort.
The preparation for Beef involved an intensive workshop where Mulligan and Isaac delved into the intricacies of their characters’ marriage. They devised personal details, such as matching tattoos commemorating their first trip to Coachella, a detail that subtly underscores the couple’s shared history and their attempt to maintain a semblance of normalcy amidst their escalating conflict. Mulligan’s own admission of having "cringe" matching tattoos with her husband, Marcus Mumford, adds a layer of personal relatability to this fictional detail. This willingness to share personal anecdotes, even those perceived as slightly embarrassing, further humanizes Mulligan and her approach to her craft.
The preparation for the intense physical fight sequence was equally rigorous. Mulligan and Isaac rehearsed the choreography extensively, ensuring that the violence felt both believable and emotionally charged. The shift in dialogue for a pivotal scene, from a threat of infidelity to an accusation of having "wasted my whole life," demonstrates Lee’s acute understanding of the characters’ underlying grievances, guiding Mulligan towards a more profound emotional truth. This collaborative process between actor and director is crucial in developing performances that resonate with authenticity, even within a heightened comedic framework.
Life Beyond the Screen: Decompression and a Grounded Perspective
Following the promotional duties for Beef, Mulligan intends to retreat to her home in Devon, a rural setting that offers a stark contrast to the glamorous environs of Hollywood. This decompression period, shared with her husband and children, provides an essential counterbalance to the demands of her profession. Living on a working farm, she finds herself in a community where fame is not a central topic of conversation. This deliberate immersion in a more ordinary environment serves as an antidote to the potential self-obsession that can arise from a career in acting.
Her anecdote about a friend’s unfamiliarity with Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, mistaking Penn for an actor from Shaun of the Dead, encapsulates this grounding influence. This moment of humorous disconnect underscores Mulligan’s appreciation for perspectives that lie outside the orbit of the entertainment industry. It highlights her ability to maintain a sense of perspective, recognizing that the anxieties and triumphs of her professional life are not universally understood or prioritized.
Despite her grounding in rural life, Mulligan’s professional achievements have been recognized with significant accolades. Her recent appointment as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) at Windsor Castle, proudly documented with a selfie showcasing her medal, is a testament to her contributions to the arts. Her playful remark about "lording it over Oscar" in joint interviews, referencing a line from Beef, injects a touch of her characteristic wit and acknowledges the enduring impact of the series. When asked if she has ever had dinner with Bono, a line of dialogue from Beef, Mulligan responds with a knowing smirk, hinting at the unexpected intersections of her public and private life, and leaving a lingering sense of playful ambiguity that is, in itself, a hallmark of her compelling persona.
Leave a Reply