Steven Yeun: out of Marvel but bagging Emmys and Golden Globes!

Steven Yeun: Emmy and Golden Globes winner!
Who is Steven Yeun?
Steven Yeun: from Korea to Canada and the USA
Interesting namesake
Pivotal moment in Steven Yeun’s life
Started out in improv comedy
First acting role in a video game
Started out in short films
First TV role in ‘Big Bang Theory’
Steven Yeun's important role in 'The Walking Dead:' Glenn Rhee
One of the most memorable Asian TV characters ever
Many still mourn Glen Rhee's demise
Life after ‘The Walking Dead’
Movie career includes 'Minari'
Moving on internationally
'Okja,' another big hit for Steven Yeun
One of Bong Joon-ho's most frequent collaborators
Multilingual and multi-talented
2023: Fast forward to ‘Thunderbolts’
Marvel's newest Asian superhero?
2023: Steven Yeun in 'Beef'
Steven Yeun is Danny Cho
'Beef' is a hit
Steven Yeun winning awards for 'Beef'
Double wins!
Golden Globes and Emmys
Out of Marvel, but still going strong
Burnt bridges to Marvel?
Steven Yeun: Emmy and Golden Globes winner!

Steven Yeun was supposed to be the next Hollywood star to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise in 'Thunderbolts'. Unfortunately, he dropped out of the project. But all that is forgotten now that he's bagging awards, including Golden Globes and Emmys, for the series 'Beef'!

Who is Steven Yeun?

Steven Yeun, born Yeun Sang-yeop, is a Korean American actor and is known for being one of the most prominent Asian actors in Hollywood.

Steven Yeun: from Korea to Canada and the USA

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Steven Yeun and his family moved out in 1988 to Saskatchewan, Canada, before moving and finally settling in Michigan in the US.

Interesting namesake

Steven Yeun’s English namesake came from a doctor whom his parents had met by coincidence, according to Comicbook. Steven Yeun’s parents took a liking to the name, and that was how Steven Yeun came to be known as 'Steven.'

Image: AMC

Pivotal moment in Steven Yeun’s life

One less-known fact about Steven Yeun is that he studied psychology and neuroscience. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, Steven Yeun went against his parents' wishes to continue in law or medicine. He was only allowed to make that change after some convincing.

Image: Annapura Pictures

Started out in improv comedy

Steven Yeun made the daring decision to pursue improv comedy instead, which led to him moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time.

Image: Universal Pictures

First acting role in a video game

Did you know that Steven Yeun’s first acting gig was to voice some characters in a video game? If you’re familiar with the ‘Crysis’ franchise, Steven Yeun has voiced some of the North Korean soldier characters.

Started out in short films

Moving on, Steven Yeun went on to star in more physical acting roles and starred in a number of short films in his early career around 2009. These short films include ‘The Kari Files’, ‘My Name Is Jerry’, and 'Carpe Millennium.'

Image: Clothespin Films LLC

First TV role in ‘Big Bang Theory’

A year later, Steven Yeun landed his first big network TV role by starring in an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory.' If you’re interested in catching Steven Yeun in action, check out the episode 'The Staircase Implementation.'

Image: Warner Bros. Television

Steven Yeun's important role in 'The Walking Dead:' Glenn Rhee

In the same year, Steven Yeun starred in AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ as Glenn Rhee. It was Steven Yeun's first leading role, and the series went on to become one of the most popular in TV history.

Image: AMC

One of the most memorable Asian TV characters ever

The role of Glenn Rhee is one of the most memorable in television history. Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee showed western audiences a very authentic representation of Asians on screen that was not beholden to stereotypes, according to Hollywood Insider.

Many still mourn Glen Rhee's demise

Despite the loss of Glenn Rhee on ‘The Walking Dead’ after season 6, it is undeniable that the character comprised a big part of what the zombie series meant for the fans, and Steven Yeun’s Glenn Rhee remains one of the series’ most beloved characters to date.

Life after ‘The Walking Dead’

After ‘The Walking Dead’, Steven Yeun became a household name in American media and went on to work on bigger projects. In 2016, he starred in Joe Lynch’s ‘Mayhem’ as the main character Derek Cho.

Image: RLJE Films

Movie career includes 'Minari'

Other than his work with Joe Lynch, Steven Yeun also went on to star in several other films in the US, such as ‘Sorry to Bother You’, ‘Nope’ and 'Minari' – all great films in their own right.

Moving on internationally

Steven Yeun also moved towards a more international stage by collaborating with South Korean directors Bong Joon-ho for ‘Okja’, and Lee Chang-dong for ‘Burning’.

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'Okja,' another big hit for Steven Yeun

It can be said that ‘Okja’ was the next biggest project that Steven Yeun had played after ‘The Walking Dead’, as ‘Okja’ became one of the most influential films in cinematic history for many reasons, such as its thematic focus and critique of capitalism and for its star-studded casting.

Image: Netflix

One of Bong Joon-ho's most frequent collaborators

According to Variety, Steven Yuen’s performance in ‘Okja’ certainly stuck with Bong Joon-ho, as the actor is now slated to act in another of his films. Steven Yeun will be starring as Berto in the upcoming sci-fi film, ‘Mickey 17’. The film is slated to air sometime in 2024.

Image: Netflix

Multilingual and multi-talented

It’s interesting to note that Steven Yeun not only showcased his proficiency in the Korean language but also masterfully demonstrated his acting skills by acting fully in Korean in his performance for ‘Burning’ – which is not an easy feat for many!

2023: Fast forward to ‘Thunderbolts’

In February 2023, Steven Yeun was announced to star in Marvel’s production 'Thunderbolts.' Forbes noted that 'Thunderbolts' will be Marvel’s answer to DC’s ‘Sui**** Squad’, and Steven Yuen’s role, although not revealed at the time of reporting, was meant to be a significant one that could impact other stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Image: A24

Marvel's newest Asian superhero?

Although Simu Liu’s performance as Shang-Chi was well received by audiences, Steven Yeun's role could rival that with his stellar acting skills in 'Thunderbolts'-- being the MCU’s next big Asian superhero... or villain!

2023: Steven Yeun in 'Beef'

While many were celebrating the announcement of Steven Yeun's recruitment into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a new project was on Netflix. 'Beef', starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, was released in April 2023.

Image: Netflix

Steven Yeun is Danny Cho

In 'Beef', Steven Yeun plays Danny Cho, who is embroiled in a road rage dispute with Amy Lau, who is played by American comedienne Ali Wong. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong also happen to be executive producers of the show!

Image: Netflix

'Beef' is a hit

'Beef' went on to become one of the best hits of 2023, receiving widespread praise from critics including Roger Ebert, Variety, The New York Times, and The Guardian, to name a few!

Steven Yeun winning awards for 'Beef'

With such widespread praise for 'Beef', it comes naturally that Steven Yeun, along with Ali Wong, would go off to win several awards for their work on the show.

Image: Netflix

Double wins!

Both Steven Yeun and Ali Wong won Golden Globes for the limited series in 2024.

Image: aliwong / Instagram

Golden Globes and Emmys

After the fanfare for 'Beef' at the Golden Globes, the series got eight wins at the Primetime Emmy Awards. In fact, Steven Yeun won an Emmy for the category of 'Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie' himself!

Out of Marvel, but still going strong

The news of his awards is good for Steven Yeun fans. They were disappointed to hear in January that the actor had decided to leave the Marvel Universe. According to Variety, Steven Yeun's departure from Marvel's 'Thunderbolts' was primarily due to Hollywood labor disputes and strikes in 2023.

Image: Netflix

Burnt bridges to Marvel?

Despite admitting that his departure from Marvel likely burned several bridges, Steven Yeun remains open to starring in the MCU in the future.

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