'You don't have to explain yourself': Steven Yeun on the freedom of filming Lee Chang-dong's Burning in Korea

For The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun, the experience of starring in Lee Chang-dong's Korean film Burning was not only a fulfilling job, it transformed his entire outlook on what it means to be a Korean-American actor.

"The gaze and the lens of the Western world is not upon you anymore," Yeun told q host Tom Power at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. "You don't have to explain yourself... you can just be."

To prepare for his role, Yeun brushed up on his Korean language skills, spent time in Seoul and ended up seeing a side of himself that he didn't see before.

He plays Ben, a wealthy, worldly guy who gets in the way of a relationship between two young people. Yeun said it was an intimidating project, and something he was reluctant to take on, because the film's director, Chang-dong, is one of his heroes. When Yeun was approached to star in the film, he confessed to Chang-dong, "I love your work, I don't want to ruin it for you." Ultimately, Yeun accepted the role because of the strength of the script, which he said "spoke beyond words on the page."

Burning arrives in select North American theatres this week and it's South Korea's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

Watch the full interview with Steven Yeun near the top of this page. 

— Produced by ​Elaine Chau

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