Netflix’s upcoming television adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden features actor Hoon Lee as Lee, a character who anchors the Salinas Valley narrative alongside lead actress Florence Pugh and Christopher Abbott, as reported by TVLine.
Hoon Lee Brings Experience from Television and Broadway
Viewers watching the miniseries may recognize Hoon Lee from a broad portfolio of television and stage credits since the 2000s. Dedicated fans of Sex and the City recall Lee’s appearance in Season 6, Episode 11, where he played Dr. Mao, administering acupuncture to Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis. Beyond that guest appearance, Lee held major roles in the Cinemax show Warrior and Banshee, as well as Apple TV’s Your Friends & Neighbors.
His background extends well beyond live-action television. On Broadway, Lee performed in productions including Flower Drum Song, Urinetown, Pacific Overtures, and The King and I, where he stepped into the role of the King of Siam. In animation and video games, he voiced Splinter in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and its associated video game adaptations.
Expanding the Steinbeck Adaptation
Unlike the 1955 feature film adaptation, which omitted the character of Lee entirely, the television miniseries format allows Netflix to explore deeper narrative layers from Steinbeck’s 74-year-old novel. This expansion brings Lee’s relationship with Adam Trask, played by Christopher Abbott, to the forefront of the story.
Abbott described their dynamic to Entertainment Weekly, noting that the characters argue like a married couple and share a platonic marriage with multiple layers to explore. Hoon Lee characterized the bond as a manifestation of a “found family,” explaining that it represents something Lee desperately wants and ultimately creates organically with Trask.
Cast Members Join Farming Family Drama in Salinas Valley
The series, loosely inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel, traces the intertwined lives of two farming families in California’s Salinas Valley. Alongside Pugh, Abbott, and Lee, the cast includes Joe Anders—credited under that name after previously appearing as Joe Mendes in Sam Mendes’s war film 1917—who plays Aron Trask, one of the twin sons of Cathy and Adam. Anders’ previous credits include the Apple TV adaptation Cape Fear and the biopic Lee.
