Emmy spotlight: Maria Bello delivers searing performance in ‘Beef’

While Steven Yeun and Ali Wong are receiving the lion’s share of the many plaudits Netflix’s “Beef,” Maria Bello merits attention for her standout turn on the limited series. “Beef” follows the after-effects of a road-rage incident that consumes two people — Yeun’s Danny Cho and Wong’s Amy Lau. Danny is a down-on-his-luck contractor trying to piece together a living while literally living out of a motel with his brother (Young Mazino), who he is constantly at odds with. Amy, meanwhile, is a successful business owner trying to navigate the sale of her business to a larger company while stuck with a caring husband (Joseph Lee) who doesn’t seem to understand her.

Bello plays Jordan Forster, a wealthy and uber-successful businesswoman who heads up Forsters, a home improvement store and company. Forster tries to acquire Amy’s plant-selling business Kōyōhaus and dazzles Amy with wealth, opportunity, and demand. Forster is a fierce presence and Bello brings to life this complex character with a rich performance. In the show’s penultimate episode, the actress has fun chewing the scenery and brings a playfulness to the character as she flirts with Amy. Then we get to see a desperate side to her as David Choe and his cronies swoop in to rob her. Bello discards the casual charm for desperation and bitterness and it makes for a satisfying end to a satisfying character.

Not surprisingly, critics are singing her praises:

Jasneet Singh of Collider wrote: “Maria Bello managed to flawlessly encapsulate the lofty and heartless businesswoman, successfully making it seem like she lived on a whole other plane of existence with her wealth. Witnessing the way Jordan interacts with her employees, engages with art pieces and views cultural experiences leaves a bad taste in our mouths, ultimately allowing us to relish her grisly demise.”

Peter Travers of ABC News wrote that Bello stars as the “uber-rich” Jordan and adds a lot to a terrific cast that helps to create a “dazzling, darkly comic piece.” Travers wrote that anyone who sees “Beef” and the performances within won’t be able “to stop talking about it.” He wrote: “In lesser hands, these would be stock characters. Instead, they emerge here with startling dimension and vibrant depth.”

And John Connor Coulston of Pop Culture wrote that Bello is “an accomplished actress” who stars in “Beef” in a vital role. Coulston wrote: “Bello plays Jordan, a self-important businesswoman with a fragile ego that Amy is desperate to go into business with. Amy frequently has to try and impress Jordan and stroke her ego, leading to Bello’s character being less than endearing to the audience.”

Currently, Bello sits outside of our six predicted nominees for Best Limited Series/TV Movie Supporting Actress: Judy Greer (“White House Plumbers”), Olivia Colman (“Great Expectations”), Cherry Jones (“Five Days at Memorial”), Lena Headey (“White House Plumbers”), Claire Danes (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”), and, in first place, Niecy Nash-Betts (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”). There are also several other actresses ahead of Bello with better odds: Lily Rabe (“Love and Death”), Merritt Wever (“Tiny Beautiful Things”), and Anna Paquin (“A Friend of the Family”).

Bello is best known for roles in “Coyote Ugly,” “The Cooler,” “A History of Violence,” and “Prisoners.” She also had starring roles in “ER,” “The West Wing,” “Goliath,” and “NCIS.” This would be Bello’s first-ever Emmy nomination.

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