Catch up with actor Steven Yeun on the heels of his latest film, based on a Murakami short story.  

Photography by Christopher Sherman

Styling by Corey Ng

Since Steven Yeun&rsquo;s fan-favorite character, Glenn, was violently bludgeoned to a pulp on season 7 of The Walking Dead, Yeun has kept busy with voiceover work, not to mention his roles in hit films like Okja and Sorry to Bother You. This fall, he&rsquo;s among the lead actors in director Chang-dong Lee&rsquo;s new thriller Burning, based on Haruki Murakami&rsquo;s 1993 short story &ldquo;Barn Burning.&rdquo;

Yeun plays Ben, a mysterious rich kid interested in spending time with former lovers Hae-mi (Jong-seo Jeon) and Jong-su (Ah-In Yoo). Many socio-economic rungs above his companions, Ben also floats above the emotional commitment required for friendship. Privileged and aloof, it&rsquo;s impossible to tell what he&rsquo;s thinking at any given moment&mdash;especially when it comes to Hae-mi and Jong-su.

&ldquo;We really approached our outside relationships in the same ways that our characters did,&rdquo; says Yeun. &ldquo;Ah-In and I did not meet until Ben and Jung-su met in that scene. We kept apart for a while.&rdquo;

Everything from Ben&rsquo;s smirks and empty chuckles to his posh-boy posture screams charming, but possibly pathological. This is a testament to the 34-year-old&rsquo;s superior theatrical skills since, in person, Yeun is nothing like his on-screen character: He&rsquo;s kind and introspective, projecting a meditative chill.

&ldquo;I wish I had a playbook or a trajectory [for my career], but that&#39;s the thing I let go of,&rdquo; he says of his nouvelle Zen outlook. &ldquo;I don&#39;t necessarily think that fortunate bouts of luck will happen all the time, but the lesson I&#39;m getting from it is that you can&#39;t control it. Whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

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Casting: Ian Monroe

Steven Yeun is an Enigma in his Latest Film 'Burning'

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