In his latest film the Korean American actor, who slayed zombies on « The Walking Dead, » plays an immigrant dad who uproots his family to an Arkansas farm – a role that continues to bring him to tears.
Steven Yeun has zombies to thank for his runaway career. For six seasons, on the mega-hit « The Walking Dead, » Yeun played fan favorite Glenn Rhee, pizza delivery guy-turned-zombie slayer. Correspondent Tracy Smith asked, « Did you have any idea what you were getting into when you read for that part? » « No. I was just trying to work, you know what I mean? Like, I was just trying to work, » he laughed. For Yeun, Glenn represented someone not seen on television before: « An Asian American character that wasn’t explicitly defined by his race, or talked about in that way. » Still, Glenn had limits. « He’s always a good guy, » Yeun said. « He has to do the right thing at all times. And it almost then felt like, in order for this Asian American character to exist, he has to be useful. » « So then, when you left ‘Walking Dead,’ was it good guy role after good guy role? » asked Smith. « Yeah. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with those things. But it’s that we can only be those things. And I think that’s the battle. » But choosing his latest complicated role in a film called « Minari » was relatively easy. « I read the script and I was blown away, » he said. « I was in tears. Seeing the words of how a life similar to mine could be put on a page was very liberating. » « And it left you in tears? » « Oh yeah. This thing continues to leave me in many, many tears. I’ve been crying throughout this whole process, » he laughed. Yeun plays Jacob, a Korean immigrant who moves his family from California to an Arkansas farm in pursuit of his American Dream. Writer-director Lee Isaac Chung based the film (which was shot in Oklahoma over 25 days) on his own family’s story: « Jacob, he’s an interesting man.
