The second episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead aired last night, and Korean American actor Steven Yeun made his series debut as Glenn, the resourceful scavenger who ventures into a zombie-filled Atlanta to find resources for himself, and others who also survived the zombie breakout.
Yeun was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up in Troy, Michigan where he also attended college at Kalamazoo College as a psychology major. He however switched his life’s direction to acting after seeing a performance by the college’s improv group.
Yeun most recently guest-starred on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, and has performed in various theater and improv groups in Chicago. However, The Walking Dead is Yeun’s first big role, and so far his portrayal of Glenn has been spot on.
The Walking Dead is a monthly comic book series that has been published by Image Comics since 2003. Written by Robert Kirkman, it’s an extremely dark and gory series with a loyal fan base. However, Yeun has matched the hype of the show with a stellar performance, and G4’s Attack of the Show host Kevin Pereira even called Yeun, “the perfect Glenn.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3WVhPApILQ
(Watch the hilarious exchange between his parents at around the 3 minute mark, and Steven even telling the host that as a Korean first-born, he’d let himself get bit before his parents.)
Yeun himself believes that he’s very much like his character. “That’s probably where I would say I’m close to Glenn,” said Yeun. “I’m stupidly curious. I will go and touch anything until I find out that it’s very harmful.”
Catch Steven Yeun and his zombie-filled adventures on AMC every Sunday at 10/9c.
