Maria Bello has worked in Hollywood as an actress, producer, and writer for more than 30 years, with standout performances in projects like “A History of Violence,” “Prisoners,” “Coyote Ugly,” “ER” and “NCIS.” But it is her acclaimed work on the hit Netflix limited series “Beef” that finally provided Bello with her first-ever Emmy Award nomination.
“I took some time off, I moved to Paris, I left Hollywood for a bit. I didn’t know what the next thing was that I was going to do. And I was totally shocked that this all happened in the middle of my menopause, for God’s sake,” Bello tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview when asked about her Best Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress nomination.
It was such a surprise that Bello wasn’t even aware that the Emmy Award nominations had occurred. Back in July, when “Beef” landed 13 Emmy nominations, Bello had just arrived back in Los Angeles and was at the visa office with the French Embassy.
“I was getting all these texts saying ‘congratulations,’ and I looked at it and I said for what? I just had no idea. And then I looked up at the lady behind the counter from me and said, ‘Holy sh–, I just got nominated for an Emmy.’ And she goes, ‘Good for you,’” Bello recalls. “That was the first person I told. So it’s been a really funny surprising time.”
“Beef” debuted on Netflix back in April, but its success has stretched throughout the entire year. Bello was nominated at the Critics Choice Awards earlier this month alongside her costars Steven Yeun (Best Movie/Limited Actor) and Ali Wong (Best Movie/Limited Actress), and the actors are among the top contenders at the Screen Actors Guild Awards as well. Created by Emmy nominee Lee Sung Jin (who is also known as Sonny to his collaborators and friends), “Beef” is about the increasingly fraught relationship between successful small business owner Amy (Wong) and struggling independent contractor Danny (Yeun), whose lives are intertwined after a fateful road rage incident. Bello plays Jordan, the extremely wealthy owner of a home goods store whose relationship with Amy twists and turns throughout the show’s 10 episodes.
“I decided during the pandemic – as a lot of us reevaluated our lives and our jobs – that I only wanted to work with people I like and trust. That it was about great writing and a great group of people,” Bello says. “I read a lot of things but as soon as I read Sonny’s writing, I fell in love with it. He’s such a genius and I just wanted to be a part of supporting it. Not only because the writing was incredible – he’s such a beautifully deep-hearted, creative genius – but also because it turns stereotypes on its head, showing the Asian-American perspective in a different way than we’d seen it before. So I was thrilled to become a part of it and to be asked to be in the playground with them.”
In playing Jordan, Bello – who, in addition to her career as a performer, producer, and writer (she produced last year’s hit film “The Woman King” and has a story credit on the project), is also an activist – drew on her on experiences to create the character.
“I sort of pulled from working in social justice for so many years, going to so many big events with some people who are really extreme about saving the world, but they’ve never gotten in the dirt, right?” she explains. “They have all of these ideas of how these people are living…. I was sort of making fun at the trope of the Western world. This woman with a ton of money and who thinks she knows how best to serve the world in a way.”
“Beef” is a limited series, and while Lee has discussed ways the show could expand beyond its initial story and episodes, it’s unlikely Jordan would appear. Spoiler alert: The character meets a grisly end in the penultimate episode, a shocking bit of violence that was Bello’s final day on set.
“I stood up to give my last speech, and I was so moved,” she says. “I told them that I’ve never looked out on a crew in my 30 years of work that was so diverse, in every possible way, in every color, sexual orientation, age. And I saw for the first time how much our industry is changing in that regard, in terms of inclusivity and diversity. And that made me even prouder to be a part of it.”
All episodes of “Beef” are streaming now.
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