Steven Yeun improvised one of Glenn's biggest moments on . Yeun portrayed former pizza delivery driver Glenn Rhee from the very second episode of the show when he saves protagonist Rick Grimes from a horde of walkers, right until his in the season 7 premiere. During his time on , Glenn became one of the most beloved and heroic characters in the entire show.
Yeun recently spoke with as he revisited scenes from many of his past roles, including appearances in Jordan Peele's and Lee Isaac Chung's , for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
ignited his career, and Yeun acknowledges how it helped him grow as an actor. The scene in question is from season 3, episode 7, "When the Dead Come Knocking." Glenn is tied to a chair when Merle sets a walker on him, but he manages to free himself and kill the walker in the ensuing fight, before letting out a primal scream of victory, frustration, and relief. Read on for Yeun's full comment:
I deeply have fond memories of this particular moment because it was kind of like a personal growth moment for me that, you have more agency than you think you do. Glenn does this huge fight with this walker, he’s avoiding him, fighting him, and then he finally kills him. [Glenn’s scream] was improvised, and it was the first time I was like, ‘Here’s like a feeling I have in this moment and I want to just do it.’ David Galbraith, our focus puller who recently passed away, he was like ‘Woo!’ And the whole thing of this whole show was just like getting his approval.
Spanning 12 years, 11 seasons, and 177 episodes, had its fair share of incredible talent. Plenty of award winners have played both major and minor roles in the show, and though it never received Emmy recognition for its acting, many viewers of the show felt that leading man Andrew Lincoln was snubbed for his performance in the show, particularly in the season 7 premiere.
Huge names have passed through the show, including Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Oscar-nominated Samantha Morton. Yeun's name is up there with these stars, and his career which skyrocketed after his departure from is proof. He has mainly kept his live-action appearances to film, featuring in both English-language and Korean-language productions, though he has also taken many voice acting roles in animated TV shows, including reuniting with the creator of comics Robert Kirkman for .
Most recently, he featured in the critically acclaimed Netflix series which has been a hit success for the streamer. Future projects for the actor include Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho and Marvel's . Though Yeun has shot into the stratosphere since his time on , he remains appreciative of the role of Glenn in his development as an actor.
