Steven Yeun

In Burning (2018), Ben stays comfortable beside an embarrassed Jong-su, and Steven Yeun makes the difference increasingly hard to bear. Lee Chang-dong gives him a wealthy rival to play, but the disturbing thing is how little another person’s discomfort seems to trouble him. We felt distinctly uneasy because Yeun offered no reassurance that Ben even registered the embarrassment beside him. He resists the obvious signals of villainy that would let us stop watching and decide what sort of man this is. The film sometimes prolongs its uncertainty too far, but Yeun keeps those small differences in confidence worth our attention.

His breakthrough as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead (2010–2016) had established a more readily heroic figure, so Ben marked a useful change in what audiences might expect. After the series, his move into independent films included Okja (2017), Burning and Minari (2020). As Jacob in Minari, he gives an understated performance in an immigrant family story, a reminder that the restraint need not always be threatening. He went on to play Danny Cho and produce the dark comedy series Beef (2023). We value that change of direction because Ben demonstrates how much he can do once a film stops requiring him to be easy company.

Mickey 17 (2025) shows the limit of what an actor can supply when the writing stops short. Bong Joon Ho casts Yeun as Timo, the friend who has got Mickey into his predicament, but never fills in the sketch. The film is funny and kind enough to be worth an evening, but Timo gives us little reason to make it an introduction to Yeun. Where Lee makes Ben’s unreadability part of our unease, Bong leaves us waiting for a supporting character to become more than a plot requirement. Start with Burning, on an evening when its patient pace will be welcome rather than a test.