For over a decade, Steven Yeun has graced our screens with his underrated charm and brilliant range. The South Korean-born American actor has risen to prominence in recent years and has transformed from a TV actor to an Oscar-nominated movie star. Rightfully, he has become an in-demand actor having carefully chosen unique projects that display his talent and captivate the audience. Yeun is also commended as an important figure in bringing Asian representation to the forefront in television and film. In the lead-up to his next role in the much anticipated Jordan Peele film Nope, here are some of Yeun's best performances and where you can watch them.
The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
There's no forgetting Yeun's big breakout role as Glenn Rhee in the 2010 zombie drama series The Walking Dead. Glenn is a former pizza delivery guy who crosses paths with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and joins his group of survivors trying to avoid the Walkers. He's one of the younger characters who proves his worth as a supply runner due to his resourcefulness and most importantly, his loyalty to the group. Yeun brings a brightness to the role of Glenn who serves as the moral compass among the other survivors despite the ravaged and lawless world. Glenn's outlook of compassion and genuine humanity is unwavering throughout the series especially as he develops a relationship with Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan). He has even been deemed a fan-favorite character throughout the series which meant there was a large outcry from the fans when Yeun departed the TV series in 2016. However, without the exit from the series, he may not have had the opportunity to do the following excellent projects that remain on this list.
Mayhem (2017)
As his first lead movie role, the 2017 workplace horror-comedy Mayhem directed by Joe Lynch has Yeun starring as Derek Cho. He's an office worker that's worked his way up the corporate ladder for a consulting firm that's involved with developing a virus called ID-7 or the Red Eye virus. Unfortunately, Derek wrongfully gets fired for a mistake committed by one of his other coworkers on the same day that the workplace gets infected with ID-7. The main effect of the virus is destroying human inhibitions which unleashes a feral and violent onslaught among the infected workers Derek has to survive for eight hours before the virus will stop. Having come off The Walking Dead, Yeun was no stranger to the concept of gory violence that saturates this movie. He exhibits the snarky determination and physicality of someone fighting for their life in this messed-up situation. He also has great chemistry with Melanie (Samara Weaving) who's a client that gets trapped and teams up with Derek.
Okja (2017)
Yeun has even gone on to work with prolific directors such as Bong Joon-Ho in his 2017 film Okja. The second English/Korean hybrid film of the esteemed director cast Yeun in an eclectic, but fantastic ensemble for a heartfelt story thinly veiled as a criticism of capitalism's relationship with animal cruelty. His character, K, is part of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), an animal rights activist group, that becomes allies with the film's protagonist Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun). Their mutual goal is to save Mija's genetically modified "super pig" named Okja from being killed under the guise of winning Mirando Corporation's competition. Right from the first scene of K's introduction as a translator for the ALF group, Yeun's performance is full of passion and even humor as the young activist. He elevates K beyond being the translator but also an enthusiastic individual trying to prove their worth to the cause. Despite that same enthusiasm costing him a few mistakes within the story, the audience still roots for him especially when it comes down to K and the ALF leader, Jay (Paul Dano), to ensure Mija's reunion with Okja.
Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Another notable indie movie gem is the 2018 Boots Riley film Sorry to Bother You where Yeun starred as Squeeze. The black comedy focused on the broke, unemployed protagonist Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) who discovers an unconventional method of working his way up through his new telemarketer job at Regalview. Squeeze, his coworker, organize a union and protest against the unfair pay from the company just as Cassius's luck changes for the better and leaves him wondering where his loyalties lie. This role provided Yeun the chance to relax from his dramatic roles and exercise his comedic skills. He projects a cool and tenacious energy as Squeeze and equally matches the presence of other characters such as Cassius's girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson), and his best friend, Salvador (Jermaine Fowler). The whip-smart story of the movie delivers a harsh commentary on employment culture and capitalism that Squeeze embodies through his actions.
Burning (2018)
Returning to the more dramatic roles in Yeun's repertoire, Lee Chang-dong's 2018 psychological thriller Burning brought him back to his native roots of Korea in a role, unlike his others. The film follows the aspiring writer protagonist Jung-su (Yoo Ah-in) who reunites with his former childhood neighbor Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo) by chance. The two reconnect before she travels to Africa and comes back with a new friend, Ben (Yeun). Her new friend is charming and friendly enough but Jung-su deems him suspicious due to his rich background and secrecy (Even likening Ben to "the Great Gatsby"). The mistrust only grows more when Hae-mi suddenly disappears one day. Having spent several years in American projects, it was refreshing to see Yeun in a complete Korean project where his talent still translates across countries. He perfectly balances the charisma that Ben holds with the unsettling aura of mystery that lurks beneath the surface. As the film progresses, the audience shares the same uneasiness towards Ben that Jung-su possesses especially as we learn more about his life and habits. This role certainly stands out when Yeun's usual characters are of the "good guy" type while Ben lies in an ambiguous and gray zone as a dubious man. He even received nominations for Best Supporting Actor from multiple film associations.
Minari (2020)
Another one of Yeun's biggest roles is in the 2020 poignant family drama Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Yeun stars as Jacob, a Korean immigrant who moves to Arkansas with his family in the 1980s to start growing a farm of Korean produce. The story entwines the immigrant experience with the American Dream as Jacob's optimism fuels him to work hard and set up the farm to support his family in their new home. Along the way, he even gets help from a friendly neighbor and former Korean War veteran named Paul (Will Patton) to bring the farm to fruition. All hopeful stories are of course filled with hardship and obstacles that tie into Jacob maintaining a balance between the farm and the stability of his family. Similar to Burning, Yeun draws from his Korean heritage as the stern but loving father of his children where the family communicates in their native language at home. Yet, within their Arkansas community, their assimilation to America is shown through the effort of their English and mingling with the churchgoers. Yeun truly shines as Jacob whose determination remains steadfast despite the circumstances that occur throughout the story. The role even earned him a prestigious Oscar nomination in 2021 for Best Actor alongside Youn Yuh-jung who ended up winning her category for Best Supporting Actress.
Invincible (2021-Present)
Rounding out the list is Yeun's most recent role in the superhero animated TV series Invincible. His filmography has also been built with a decent amount of voice acting roles including Netflix series Voltron: Legendary Defender and Tuca and Bertie. For Invincible, Yeun voices Mark Grayson, the titular superhero who is a teenager that has recently grown into his superpowers inherited from his father Nolan (J.K. Simmons) otherwise known as the hero Omni-Man. Mark slowly learns how to balance his teen life and superhero abilities with the help of his friends like William (Andrew Rannells) and Amber (Zazie Beetz), fellow other superheroes like Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), and his own mother Debbie (Sandra Oh). Unbeknownst to Mark, there is a mysterious and dark secret that his father keeps from him that ends up having huge repercussions that define what kind of hero Mark will become. Yeun breathes so much life into the character making Mark incredibly likable and relatable in terms of wanting to reach your full potential in every aspect of your life. He delivers sharp wit whenever bantering with his friends or superhero allies. Yeun even captures the dramatic beats for some of the painful moments that unfold in the story. On April 29, 2021, the animated series was renewed for two more seasons ahead of its anticipated season finale.