Steven Yeun on the cover of GQ, April 2021.
Steven Yeun on the cover of GQ, April 2021.
In support of his excellent new film, 'Minari', Steven Yeun covers the April 2021 issue of GQ magazine with a cowboy flair, as photographed by Diana Markosian, and styled by George Cortina.
On playing his character Jacob: "There's this built-in Voltron image of what an Asian dad is supposed to be, and to break through that is kind of difficult. To not just break through the expectations of others, but also to break through the gaze in your own mind. We profess that we're caught in the white American gaze, and that's true. But we forget that we are also that gaze. That gaze is encoded into us, and the last boss is yourself."
On wanting to feel full in his real life: "I didn't know it while I was living through it, but you're constantly code-switching. You're constantly trying to fit into a situation so that you don't disturb it.” I suspect this is something a lot of Asian Americans of our generation can relate to, career- and otherwise. You feel thankful to be in these rooms, to have a seat at the table, whether you're a creative or a hedge-funder or a beloved actor who marries a cool white woman on a zombie show. Things are going well for you. Why rock the boat? But I think I was tired of not letting people know that I could have dark thoughts. That I could also have anger. I would hear all my life from other people who are like, ‘Whoa, are you getting pissed? No way!’ Early on in my life, I took that as a compliment because I was like, ‘Oh, I'm playing the game right. Like, I'm being a nice guy.’ But then you get older and you're like, ‘Fuck that, man. That's an insult.’ And that's what I mean about my humanity. We all feel human. But I just wanted to feel all the feelings."
Read the full story here.
