- Charles Melton covers i-D Magazine shirtless ahead of Beef Season 2, premiering April 16.
- In the interview, Melton reveals he suffered a hamstring injury on set that was treated with salmon DNA injections.
- The Korean-American actor says filming in South Korea made him feel more connected to his heritage than ever before.
Charles Melton is not here to be subtle about his Beef Season 2 era — and honestly, good for him.
The 35-year-old Beef actor landed the cover of i-D Magazine, out now, in a sizzling, shirtless photo shoot captured by photographer Charlie Denis. The spread is exactly what you’d expect from someone who has quietly become one of Hollywood’s most compelling — and aesthetically blessed — leading men: minimal fabric, maximum skin, and a very intentional energy.
The star went viral for a slew of seductive pics posing shirtless and rocking some tight red shorts — which, to be fair, is precisely the kind of content the internet was built for.
But beyond the abs and the aesthetic, the cover story is genuinely an interesting read. Melton opens up about what it meant to film Beef in South Korea, saying simply, “I’ve never felt so connected to my Koreaness.” For a Korean-American actor who came up on Riverdale, that’s not a throwaway line — it’s a statement about where he is in his career and his identity.
He also had a lot to say about the athletic discipline he brings to his craft. “A professional athlete doesn’t just show up to the event. They train, they work, I’m very meticulous and take an athlete’s obsessive approach to work,” Melton explains. Which, given the physical demands of the photo shoot, tracks perfectly.
Speaking of physical demands, the set of Beef apparently came with some occupational hazards. Melton revealed he had to get a shot in his hamstring with salmon DNA, joking, “Every time I squeezed my leg, caviar came out.” Somehow, even his injury stories are cinematic.
There’s also a sweetly chaotic subplot involving his mom, who made a cameo in the new season. “She was asking me about her SAG card. I was like, Mom, you need to chill!” he laughed, adding that she was “a natural. My mom’s the funniest person in the world, just with her physical comedy and her timing.”
On the show itself, Melton makes clear this role hits differently for him. “If Riverdale was my Juilliard, Beef is me coming home,” he said — a line that will make you want to root for him even harder. Creator Lee Sung Jin reportedly pitched the show to him by saying, “it’s like 40% of Sopranos. You know when Tony Soprano is hiding or lying. You’re kind of in the mind with him.”
Beef Season 2 drops April 16, and centers on a new set of characters — with Melton starring opposite Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Cailee Spaeny. If this photo shoot is any indicator of the energy he’s bringing to the season, we are very, very ready.
Charles Melton photographed by Charlie Denis for i-D Magazine. pic.twitter.com/zXWxPxbhXc
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 9, 2026Charles Melton photographed by Charlie Denis for i-D Magazine. pic.twitter.com/EVgClxMu4k
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 9, 2026
