[INTERVIEW] Actor Steven Yeun - Part 1

Korean-American actor Steven Yeun poses during an interview with reporters in Seoul, South Korea on December 20, 2011. [tcast]

Steven Yeun was a hard-working Korean-American child until in college when joined an improv group and now he plays Glenn in AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” a hit TV series about a group of people surviving the world after a zombie apocalypse. Now in Korea for the first time in eight years to meet with family as well as taking time to meet his fans, Yeun also met with several reporters in Seoul on December 20 to talk about being in Korea, his career, and his experience in being a Korean-American actor in Hollywood.

<#10LOGO#> What is the purpose of your visit to Korea since the last time you were here eight years ago?
Steven Yeun (Yeun): I am just here to visit my family and friends and right now we are taking a break from shooting “The Walking Dead.”

<#10LOGO#> Will you be staying only in Seoul?
Yeun: No, I will also visit my family in Cheongju and I just wanted to know what it is like to be an individual in Seoul.

<#10LOGO#> What is it like being in Korea in after eight years?
Yeun: A lot has changed. I used to hang out in Apgujeong when I visited Korea when I was younger and I thought that now since I am older it would be different to visit the many places in Korea.

<#10LOGO#> The status that you are at now is different from when you were in Korea eight years ago. How does that feel?
Yeun: I have always wanted to come to Korea but I didn’t have the time and money. It feels great to come here now and it is strange being here as an actor. Hopefully, I'll get to meet some actors here like Song Kang-ho (laugh). Can you make that happen? And I don’t fully understand it [being famous] yet. When season 2 started the show was doing great but it was only six episodes and we weren’t that recognized but now that the season is halfway through, people are now watching and they know who I am now like when I’m walking down the street. When I was here eight years ago no one knew who I was and now people on the streets will want to take a picture with me. It’s weird.

<#10LOGO#> But you have mentioned that you came here for a personal visit as well, so is it okay with you to mix business with pleasure?
Yeun: It’s okay because it is nice to have that too. It kind of gets to me whenever I rest or play for a long time so I can’t play for too long. That is why I like to work in between.

<#10LOGO#> You mentioned that you moved overseas when you were five. You also started your acting career at a late age, how did you start your career?
Yeun: I started acting in college and before that I wanted to be a musician more. I used to play guitar and sing at church but I haven’t really put much thought into it since it was just things that I liked to do. That is why when I went to college, I listened to my parents and studied to become a doctor but while I was doing that I felt that it was really boring. I didn’t give up on it and I continued to major in psychology but more towards medical psychology. Then I went to a liberal arts college which allowed me to try a bunch of things and I saw an improv group which I really liked and I wanted to do that. So I tried it but I didn’t get it and then I took a class and made it afterwards and since our school was small they just took me in. That is how I was immersed into the acting community while I was doing my major.

<#10LOGO#> What would have happened if you didn’t see that improv group?
Yeun: I would have been a bad actor the whole time. (laugh)

<#10LOGO#> Are your parents worried about you and your acting career?
Yeun: Yes, they were worried about me at first but they were really supportive. When I first told my dad that I wanted to become an actor he said that he was really worried that his son will face difficulties. But now that I have a steady job, he is happy. And it is a really good job so he is really happy but you never know what will happen because it might not be there in the future. So, he is still worried.

<#10LOGO#> How about yourself?
Yeun: Me? I am always worried. Now I have more to worry about it. At first, I didn’t have much to worry about but now I have more to lose which is another thing to worry about. The most important thing for me is that I want to be a really good actor. People may say that they don’t want to be famous but I really mean it. I have high anxiety and when I feel that people are looking at me I get really anxious about it. That is why when I’m walking around the streets in Korea and the people stop me it’s great that they are my fans but afterwards I feel a bit anxious about it. I don’t know why. (laugh) I don’t think much about being famous. And since I am in this fortunate position, I want to do a really good job.

<#10LOGO#> How do you train yourself to be a good actor?
Yeun: The really great thing is that every job that I have had has been school for me. Metaphorically and literally, just like for me being on “The Walking Dead.” All the actors are seasoned actors and are really good and the first day that I got on set for the first season, I told them that I was going to ask them a lot of questions and that I’m going to be a sponge and they told me that it was fine and great. They are so nice and great in that they taught me so much. And in the two months that I was there it would have been the same if I was going to grad school for two years. I feel that the best way to learn is being on the job and if you watch from the first season and when the end of the second season comes out, you will see that I got way better. Way better. I’m obviously not there in terms of being really good and that I have way more to go but it’s good to see improvement in a little bit. That is why from here, I feel that every time I do something new it is a new opportunity for me to learn which is why I watch a lot of movies and read a lot of books not about acting. And in order to be a good actor, it is good to have a knowledge base and as an improviser that is your ammunition which is to know much about anything that you possibly can.

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

10 아시아 Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@
10 아시아 Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@