In Korean a “kimjang” is a gathering of friends, family, and loved ones with the expressed purpose of making kimchi, a delicious Korean side dish consisting of fermented and spiced vegetables. Last year, in the midst of award season, actor Greta Lee hosted a kimjang and invited VMAN cover star, Charles Melton, who brought his mom and sister. The two talents saw a mutual meteoric rise in industry recognition, as a result of their incredible projects—Past Lives and May December, respectively—and found that a return to cultural self was much needed in their dizzying ascent to A-list status. 

Calling in from a chic, book-filled Parisian Airbnb, Melton shares a bit more on how he’s moving through his current projects, which include the upcoming A24 film Warfare and the second season of the critically acclaimed show Beef. With Lee, he’s developed an almost sibling-like dynamic over the course of their parallel press tours. Calling in from her car—which she notes was fully parked—Lee reminds Melton of the importance of grounding oneself with fast food, prods him on whether or not he’s taking enough time for himself, and fusses over his exciting career trajectory.

GRETA LEE: Charles! There you are. 

CHARLES MELTON: Give me the tea, nobody is here listening to us. 

GL: This is completely private. I’ll tell you all the gossip… It’s so good to see you. I’m excited to check in and see how you’re feeling about everything.

CM: I’m doing pretty good. Going to London to film (Warfare, Melton’s forthcoming film) for three months was probably the best thing for me. The whole experience with Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza [co-directors of Warfare], it was very grounding. Probably one of the best experiences for me as an actor to be a part of something like that.

GL: So you weren’t just sitting around with those guys like talking about awards season?

CM: [Laughs] It was more like: When are we going to work out? What movie are we watching at dinner? What are the weekend plans? We stayed in a town called Tring at this place called the Pendley Manor. There were just peacocks everywhere, like 100 peacocks.

GL: Peacocks are aggressive.

CM: Very aggressive. But, you know, today, I got up, worked out, had coffee, rode the Lime bike around Paris, had Burger King for lunch. I’m feeling great.

GL: Well-balanced. Just coffee and a little bit of trans fat. I love that. Before we get into current projects and things—it was so great to see you during that whole experience of the absolutely well-deserved attention that you got from your performance in May December. It really helped me, too, because our projects were different, but we had the same producers. It was nice to feel like we had a little family. 

CM: It was always so grounding whenever I saw you because we saw each other at almost every awards thing, we’re both just blacked out like, ‘What’s up?! How’s it going?!’ When we made kimchi that one night, that was amazing. 

GL: Yes! Oh my god, in the middle of all of that I randomly had the kimjang on the books. I was like, you know what, I’m gonna invite Charles, and you came! I love that you came with your mom and one of your sisters. It was like one of my most favorite days during that whole run of things.

CM: My mom showed up like a little gangster in her matching purple sweatsuit, and I remember everyone was making kimchi, and I think she may have been one of the oldest people there. She was just like—

GL: Schooling everyone?

CM: Yeah! I think it was one of your friends that was there, he was a chef. 

GL: David Cheng!

CM: Him and my mom kind of had a little feud [laughs], like a back and forth. 

GL: Oh my God. 

CM: But it was amazing. I think settling in and processing everything from these past few months… It’s been good to gather all my senses and be in my body and focus on the things that matter, like making sure I eat Burger King wherever I am in the world. 

GL: I totally get what you mean. I don’t know if you see it this way, but for me, that’s kind of an immigrant thing. Like when I need to check myself, I go to McDonald’s. You know what I mean? Because I get it. You’re an actor and there’s that whole “your body is a temple” thing and you have to take care of yourself, but every once in a while, you need to step off the green juice stuff and just go have a Big Mac. 

CM: Yeah. 

GL: Do you feel like you had an unconventional ride based on how you grew up? You grew up in Alaska, right? 

CM: I was born in Alaska, my dad was in the army. I lived in Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee for a year, Korea for five years, Texas for two years, Kansas for four years and then moved out to LA, lived in New York for two years, pursuing the dream of being an actor. It’s a very unconventional story, but it feels normal to me.

GL: I think it’s fascinating that you’ve had to move so much. You have this deep sense of who you are and it’s really apparent no matter where you go. I have to assume that comes from that practice of having to keep finding yourself in different worlds. 

CM: That’s very sweet. Code switching, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. That’s why I love doing what we get to do. Whenever it comes to a role, I see it as an opportunity to experience a revelation of a version of myself. When I was in Korea a few months ago, I felt something in me come to the surface and it made me very emotional. It was my grandma’s 90th birthday—I speak Korean but not as well as I would like to—and I felt this connection with her and my whole Korean family. And I wished I could’ve expressed it [beyond] just hugging them, it was interesting. I feel like I’m off on a tangent right now. 

GL: You’re not, you’re so not. You’re making me want to ask about Joe-Yoo (Melton’s character in May December).You were incredible. It was so shocking to see you expose a vulnerability within yourself through a character. I could see all the work that you put into building this person. Is there anything you can say about that process? 

CM: I just became a big geek about the whole process. If I was looking at one element of the many layers of Joe that I found, I would say that there’s this sense of being afraid. And I think that, internally, I have a part of that. Being a military kid, traveling from one place to the next, I had this [fear] of: Can I fit in? Am I doing the right thing? Am I abiding by societal norms? There’s a version of myself that, through the role of Joe, kind of came to the surface. And that was this element of him being afraid, but not knowing he’s afraid. 

GL: That’s so beautiful, I completely understand. Do you feel differently about how you move into a role?

CM: The process for this (Warfare) role was just completely different. The story was based on a true story written by Ray Mendoza so his best friend’s kids can see what happened to their father back in 2006. It was very intense, but one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done. 

GL: I know you’re doing Beef next, do you have a little bit of a break before then?

CM: I’m kind of diving back in. I’m doing things every day here and there; watching films, looking at things, reading books, and keeping life going. [Laughs.]

GL: I love seeing you blush—what’s your jam right now?

CM: I’m reading Bluets by Maggie Nelson. And then An Unquiet Mind (by Kay Redfield Jamison). Sometimes I watch On The Waterfront with Marlon Brando before I go to bed just to relax, so I can fall asleep. 

GL: Do you have a dream role or something that you would like to do at some point that you haven’t gotten to do yet?

CM: There’s a lot of dreams. I like to tell myself that the dream project is the next project. But I mean, it’d be amazing to work with you one day. 

GL: [Gasps] Ohhhh. That’d be great. I also saw that you just started a production company. Is that right?

CM: Yeah, with my sister. In the Morning Productions. We’re working on some things, there’s a lot of stories we want to tell. 

GL: That’s amazing. Is she older or younger? 

CM: Everyone always asks this. She’s so much younger than me. She’s seven years younger, but I think when people meet me they’re like, God, you’re such a little man child. She’s the mature one.

GL: She’s incredibly mature. I feel like I’ve hung out with you guys a few times now and I’m shocked that she’s that much younger. 

CM: She’s always like, we need to do this, we need to do that, we’ve got this meeting, we’ve got that meeting. And I’m just like, just let me be an actor. Like, please just let me be an actor. No, she’s great.

GL: Have you had a break?

CM: I don’t know. I think I’m kind of on my break now. I mean, I’m telling you this last project was so grounding for me. It was truly incredible. I don’t know how much I can talk about it yet because we just wrapped two and a half weeks ago, but the relationships that I made, the things that I learned, the experiences I had—I’ve never had experiences like the ones I had on this set. I think that’s all I’m gonna say about that. I am in Paris, I’m kind of having a little break and I’ll be back in LA in like a week for a bit. 

GL: I’m also kind of jumping around while trying to take a break—it’s so funny because I’m asking you like I don’t understand. I was also just in Paris trying to take a break.

CM: [Laughs] 

GL: It’s so absurd. Like I was there for work but I brought my whole family and I was swimming in the ocean but also having to work. I’m trying to make a conscious effort to separate the two. 

CM: You know who I saw on the train the other day? I was going to Switzerland—God, this sounds ridiculous—I saw Steven Yeun and his whole family. 

GL: Oh my God! Did you say hey? 

CM: Yeah! We talked. It was great. It was amazing. I just figured I’d share that because we both know him and are friends with him. But the whole idea of taking a break during work…

GL: When will we learn? [Laughs] It’s so silly. How’s your French?

CM: Not good. I don’t even try. I’m taking Korean lessons right now, too. I feel like Korean lessons will come before French lessons. 

GL: Exactly. I know people are so excited about you being part of Beef. I know that this story won’t necessarily be exclusively AAPI or anything, but it is worth mentioning that it’s historic. It’s really cool that this group of people have gotten together and that you’ll be a part of it. Is there anything you can say about Beef?

CM: It’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever read.

GL: [Gasps] Oh! I just got the chills. That’s so exciting.

CM: Yeah. I’m very excited. That’s all happening soon. It means so much that you made the time to do this with me because I know you’re so busy working on so many things—really, truly thank you. 

GL: It’s my pleasure. You know I adore you and, selfishly, it’s just so nice to check in with you and to see your face. You look happy and good and healthy. And I don’t know. I’m just excited for you. 

CM: Let’s hang out when I get to LA.

GL: Yeah. And then we can really gossip.

This story appears in the pages of VMAN 53: now available for purchase!

Photography Blair Getz Mezibov

Fashion Gro Curtis

Interview Greta Lee

Grooming Candice Birns (A-Frame)

Executive producer Vivian Song (The Production Factory)

Producer Jenna Pfefferle (The Production Factory)

Production coordinator Arlene Trejo

Location scout Ella Bourne (Image Locations)

Digital technician Nate Leal

Lighting director Christian “Bummy” Koepenick

Stylist assistant Evelyn Cristobal

Production assistant Mike Casucci