Steven Yeun has, in a pretty remarkably short time, become one of the most exciting actors in Hollywood. After appearing in a handful of anonymous roles, he first rose to prominence with his appearance on The Walking Dead, the original hie zombie TV show. It’s hard to overstate the effect this role had on Yeun’s career, as he was able to not only win fans by the millions but hone his craft till he was ready to take on bigger roles in Hollywood.
Since leaving The Walking Dead in 2016, Yeun has continued to impress in a wide variety of roles, easily able to go from leading man to essential character and back all while feeling like one of the more naturalistic actors working today. Of late, Yeun has taken things even further, earning Awards nominations for movies like Burning and Minari and appearing in Jordan Peele’s latest film, Nope.
Yeun is even set to return to television in early April when he stars opposite Ali Wong in the new Netflix series Beef. In honor of his impressive career, we have ranked the 10 best Steven Yeun movies and TV shows.
10. Mayhem (2017)
Mayhem tells the story of an airborne virus — in 2017 no less — that infects people with a visible single red eye and gives those who contract it a sudden loss of all morality, allowing them to act like the monsters they always were. Directed by Joe Lynch and starring Samara Weaving alongside Yeun, this is a movie about bloody vengeance, as the two stars finally enact the revenge against those in power that we all dream of taking down a peg.
As with a few movies on our list, Mayhem does a good job of playing off of Yeun’s inherent likeability to help enrich the surprising plot.
9. I, Origins (2014)
This science-fiction drama tells the story of a group of scientists — including Yeun as Kenny — researching the evolution of the human eye, though things quickly move into futuristic, theoretical science. Meant as the first film in a series (thus the “Origins” tag), I Origins was directed and written by Mike Cahill, who has worked on similar projects like Another Earth and Bliss.
Though the movie received mixed reviews from critics, many couldn’t help but be impressed with the ambitious vision of the movie.
8. The Humans (2021)
2021’s The Humans is a drama written and directed by Stephen Karam, based on his one-act play of the same name. It’s the kind of movie that retains the feeling of a play even after being moved to the big screen. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actors and actresses, including Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, and, of course, Yeun, The Humans takes place all in one apartment on Thanksgiving night.
We learn more and more about this family and their complicated relationships as the night progresses, delving into their psyches and how each is dealing with their own separate trauma and pain. Yeun is excellent as Richard, the character most on the outside looking in. The film was widely praised by critics and can be streamed now on Showtime.
7. Tuca & Bertie (2019)
The first TV show on our list sees Yeun display his talents as a voice actor, starring in the much-beloved adult animation show Tuca & Bertie. In it, Yeun plays Speckle, an anthropomorphic robin who works as an architect and dates the show’s title character, Bertie (Ali Wong). Also starring in this delightful comedy is Tiffany Haddish as Tuca.
Even if you have not checked out Tuca & Bertie you may recognize the animation style as this series comes from the same animator as Netflix’s Bojack Horseman and creates a similar world in which animals of all kinds work and live in a human-like city together.
6. Okja (2017)
While more might be familiar with director Bong Joon-ho’s two other recent American films, Parasite and Snowpiercer, 2017’s Okja is certainly not one to be missed. The film tells the fantastical story of a little girl named Mija and her relationship with her pet pig, the genetically modified “super pig”, Okja. After Okja is captured and taken to America, the movie turns into a kind of action/adventure tale in which Mija must rescue her best friend from the evil Mirando Corporation.
Here Yeun plays K, an animal rights activist working to help Mija realize her goal. Also starring are Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, and Lily Collins. You can stream this delightful tale now on Netflix.
5. Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother you is one of the strangest movies to come out of 2018 or any other year. It is also one of the most fun and fascinating. Starring Yeun, Lakieth Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, and Armie Hammer, Sorry To Bother you features, among other things, half-horse/half-human hybrids, voice-changing magic, and a reality show titled simply, I Got The Shit Kicked Out Of Me.
It is a truly bonkers movie but for many, it was the first taste of Yeun outside of his role in the very popular zombie drama we will get to later, and he was very impressive as “Squeeze” a union leader possibly looking to steal Thompson away from Stanfield. You can stream Sorry To Bother You now on Netflix.
4. Burning (2018)
As we mentioned in our introduction, Yeun was born and partly raised in South Korea and yet this is the first film on our list in which Yeun is featured in a fully foreign language film. Burning is a South Korean/Japanese thriller written, directed, and produced by Lee Chang-dong and is partly inspired by a short story by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. This film once again plays off of Yeun’s inherent likability and charm, while also finding a way to turn that idea on its head. We never really get a sense of his character in Burning and things always feel like they could take a nefarious turn at the drop of a hat.
The film received heavy praise from critics, some going as far as to mark it one of the best films of 2018. Lucky for you, Burning can now be streamed for free on Pluto TV and Tubi!
3. Minari (2021)
If Burning served as a way for Yeun to announce himself as a serious actor, Minari fully solidified that fact, proving he is not only a TV star but a movie star as well, one able to give a performance as good as any actor working. Minari tells the story of the Yi’s, a family of Korean immigrants who move to rural Arkansas in an attempt to further realize their American dream. As the patriarch, much of the responsibility falls on Yeun’s Jacob as he tries his best to provide for his family while assimilating to unfamiliar situations.
The film is based heavily on writer and director Lee Isaac Chung’s own upbringing, in which his own family struggled to establish themselves in a new environment. Minari was immediately lauded upon its release, winning the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Yeun’s performance was especially praised, leading him to become the first Asian American actor to receive an Oscar nomination when he was nominated for Best Actor at the 93rd Academy Awards.
2. The Walking Dead
Television actors can kick around for decades before finding a role that can help them break through anonymity into something resembling fame. For Yeun, things went a little differently. Sure, he worked here and there before appearing on AMC’s hit zombie-drama The Walking Dead but few can hope to land a role like Glenn Rhee so early in their career. Glenn plays a critical role in the series and Yeun would appear in a total of 16 episodes over seven seasons, eventually leaving the show after the season seven premiere.
It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal The Walking Dead became when it premiered in 2010, which is why it was so impressive that Yeun was able to land such a critical role in what would become one of the most iconic series of the 2010s. Equally impressive is how memorable of a performance Yeun gives as Glenn, turning what could be a side character into one of the more popular in the entirety of the series. You can stream all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead now on Netflix.
1. Nope (2022)
Any time Jordan Peele decides to make a movie is a big deal and I’m certain there is a line out of the door full of actors that would love to appear in any project Peele decides to take on. Coming off the success of movies like Burning and Minari, it is no wonder that Yeun was given this amazing opportunity. Here he plays Ricky “Jupe” Park, an essential side character whose own life story plays nicely against the film’s central narrative.
When we meet Park, he is an adult running a kind of hokey, old-west amusement park in the middle of nowhere called “Jupiter’s Claim.” We soon learn, however, of a traumatic past involving a violent chimp and a fateful day on the set of an ordinary 90s sitcom. Yeun does a fantastic job in this difficult role, as he is asked to be both effortlessly charming and subtly haunted. Even as he makes jokes about his childhood trauma we can see in his eyes the effect the events still have on him today.