The fans of The Walking Dead are still mourning for Steven Yeun’s character, Glenn Rhee, who was brutally murdered at the hands of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s sadistic Negan. Rhee survived with the group for six seasons of the show.
Yeun spoke to ET‘s Jennifer Peros at the premiere of his new fantasy drama, Okja, in New York, and the 33-year-old star opened up about his “impactful” final scene on the AMC’s original series.
“I think I’m just grateful for it,” Yeun said. “I’m grateful that the character got to leave on such a high note. It’s really cool.”
While Yeun’s character has ended on the series, the actor says he still watches the show, and will continue to when season eight premieres in October.
“I want to see my friends,” Yeun shared, referring to his long-time co-stars, whom he remains in contact with. “Absolutely, they’re the best.”
Okja, which also stars Lily Collins, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Giancarlo Esposito, Hee-Bong Byun, and written and directed by South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho, is a story of a young woman named Mija (Seo-Hyun Ahn), who lives with a giant, fantastical creature, Okja, at her home in the mountains.
When Okja is kidnapped by a multinational corporation, Mija sets off on a mission determined to rescue her best friend at all costs, and she is forced to cross paths with different enemies who all want to use Okja for their own selfish goals.
Yeun says he’s excited to bring the movie to American audiences, but he’s concerned that those who don’t speak Korean are missing an important aspect about the film’s unique name.
“One thing that is a bummer, that people don’t get to know, is that Okja is a Korean name, but it’s like an old female, classic name. So the equivalent in a way might be like Harriet or Georgina or something like that,” the South Korean star explained. “Which kind of gives you a little bit more glimpse into a tone of the film.”
Okja debuts on Netflix and selected theaters on June 28.
