Token optimist turned mincemeat courtesy of a particularly bloodthirsty "vampire bat," Glenn was a "Walking Dead" favorite. So, come time for him to bite the dust, why was actor Steven Yeun so down to say adios to his adored character?
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00:00Token optimist turned mincemeat courtesy of a particularly bloodthirsty vampire bat,
00:05Glenn was a Walking Dead favorite. So come time for him to bite the dust,
00:09why was actor Steven Yeun so down to say adios to his adored character?
00:14Hey, you. Dumbass.
00:19Sweating, scared, and hopeless, Rick Grimes is stuck in a tank surrounded by walkers on all
00:24sides in the series premiere of The Walking Dead. He's not stupid. He knows he's finished
00:29until a voice comes in over the radio. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?
00:34Before we learn who's behind the voice, the camera zooms out over the city of Atlanta,
00:38and the episode ends. Episode two, however, wastes no time introducing this mysterious
00:43new character to us, Glenn Rhee, played by Steven Yeun. Glenn became a fan favorite over the course
00:48of the show, reminding viewers that there's light even in the darkest of times. The Walking Dead
00:53itself, however, doesn't play favorites, and Glenn meets his fate in the form of Negan's bat Lucille
00:58at the beginning of Season 7. Yeun had no choice but to leave after that, seeing as Glenn's demise
01:04was more than definitive. However, there's more to his departure than just his character's untimely
01:09death. Steven Yeun spoke with fellow thespian Riz Ahmed for Variety's Actors on Actors,
01:15and naturally, The Walking Dead came up. Being part of a series that big doesn't just vanish
01:19from the public consciousness when an actor moves on to different projects, after all,
01:23especially when they play a character as beloved as Glenn. It's an extremely special role to Yeun,
01:28but he also openly admitted that he didn't mind leaving the character behind.
01:32"'Glenn is a plucky, nice guy, nice to everybody,' Yeun said, and while he enjoys expressing that
01:38part of himself as an actor, he was only able to do it for so long before it got to him. Yeun said,
01:43"'There was a point in which I realized that he almost became a ceiling because I became an idea
01:48over a human character.'" From his perspective, that limited where he was able to go as an actor,
01:53and being or feeling boxed in is the last thing any actor wants. It was time to move on.
01:59When the actors decided to kill Glenn off, Yeun says,
02:02"'There really wasn't much of a fight on my end.'" He added, however, that it was still sad regardless.
02:07Since departing from post-apocalyptic Georgia, Yeun has made the most of his time appearing in
02:12critically acclaimed projects like Sorry to Bother You, Burning, and Minari — productions that allowed
02:17him to explore roles other than the genial-natured guy. Fans will always remember and miss Yeun as
02:22Glenn, but it's a wonderful thing that he's been able to expand his body of work elsewhere.
02:26In the years since his Walking Dead goodbye, Stephen Yeun has taken up some remarkable acting
02:31opportunities. He's expanded his filmography while trying out roles that not too long ago he likely
02:36wouldn't have had a chance at landing. Nevertheless, in the eyes of many, he'll always be the man
02:41behind Glenn Rhee. With that in mind, as the Walking Dead franchise expands in all directions,
02:46could we see Yeun return to the role of Glenn in some form or fashion?
02:49During a July 2022 appearance on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast,
02:53Yeun made it abundantly clear that the end of his Walking Dead tenure was indeed the end.
02:58He told O'Brien,
02:59"'The police voice in my head said,
03:01"'If you do it again, you're a hack.' So I don't do it again. I cringe at the thought.'"
03:05This confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that he's done with the Glenn role from here on out.
03:09Continuing, Yeun added,
03:11There's not, like, a crack in the door. It is slammed shut and barricaded.
03:16Even though it would be cool to see Glenn Rhee in the Walking Dead universe one more time,
03:20don't get your hopes up that it'll happen. If his comments and career trajectory prove
03:24anything, it's that Stephen Yeun has left TWD and his iconic character in the past.