Greta Lee felt “so powerful” working as a hostess at an exclusive New York City restaurant.
Greta Lee reflects on her life before Hollywood stardom
The 43-year-old star has opened up on a time in her life when she spent around five years on and off at Momofuku from 2007, in between trying to kickstart her acting career.
Appearing on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, she said: “I was so powerful. I was a hostess. I was like basically encouraged to be mean.
“The culture was different then. And you would easily tell someone, okay, it’s going to be four hours.”
The Past Lives and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse star has recalled having to step away from the hostess job for various acting roles.
She admitted: “I mean, I was there on and off for a good five years, maybe more. Like I’d go do a job, I’d book something and think like, ‘Oh, goodbye.’
“I’d have like a big goodbye, like I’m never coming back … and then just come crawling back.”
Greta enjoyed her time at the restaurant, during a period when it was hard to secure a booking.
She added: “That time for food was really exciting cuz it was like David Chang and — we’re friends now, we have kids the same age and you know we live really, really close and we have mutual friends — and it’s funny reminiscing about that time collectively because it’s like, chefs were rock stars and being a part of that was really exciting for all of us.”
Greta, who has also appeared on the likes of The Morning Show and A House of Dynamite, previously revealed she had accepted her “dream” would never happen before she finally found success.
Reflecting on the period when she was struggling to get roles, she told the Metro newspaper’s 60 Seconds column: “I know what it’s like to feel a ticking clock and being a woman, and I’m a woman of colour.
“I’m in my 40s and I’ve lived a life of navigating all kinds of highs and lows and the possibility of trying to accept a dream that will not happen – and then unexpectedly it does.”
Greta insisted waiting so long for her success has made her more determined to make up for years of missed opportunities.
She added: “It’s not about the money at all. There were a lot of years of experiences lost – I feel like I’m making up for it now.”
