Walking Dead may have bashed in the heads of Glenn & Abraham but Steven Yeun & Michael Cudlitz prove you don’t need brains to host a television show. The out of work actors revealed they’re filling in for O’Brien & Andy Richter during shows rehearsals.
“I don’t come in for rehearsals as you can tell,” Conan admitted to the audience.
Yeun mocked the late night host’s lack of professionalism while standing in for him. He threatened to make everyone listen to him play guitar. Conan is rarely without it during rehearsals as seen in outtakes known as Scraps. The most cutting criticism was for Conan’s hair. Yeun donned a Ronald McDonald wig and asked if it was red enough. Unfortunately, Cudlitz wasn’t paying attention just like the real Andy!
Steven Yeun pronounces himself the maestro
Yeun has made multiple appearances on the show including accompanying Conan to a nude Korean Spa but that wasn’t their most awkward encounter. Conan just learned he’s been mispronouncing Yeun’s name for years. Yeun credited the host with popularizing the mispronunciation so much that even his cousin is doing it. And yet, Yeun didn’t correct him until the plane ride home from their special “Conan Does Korea.” Yeun explained that he didn’t want to embarrass Conan.
“You thought it was better to wait for years and then tell me so we could discuss it on television,” Conan pointed out.
Conan has been mispronouncing Yeun’s name as YOU-n but it’s actually pronounced y-UN as in rhymes with fun.
“By the way, I’m co-NAN,” he joked.
Furthermore, Yeun’s first name was originally Sang-yeop but it was arbitrarily changed after his parents met a doctor named Steven.
“I was Charles until I saw a Schwarzenegger movie,” Conan sympathized.
Ironically, this mild-mannered actor has unwittingly accomplished what hundreds fastidious fans could not. Conan insists that he’s never made a mistake on the show. In fact, he challenges viewers to spot an error in segment called Fan Corrections. The segment was never referenced during the interview so presumably it’s fair game.
However, every time Conan has been caught making an error he weasels out of it by doing an absurd bit. For instance, Conan revealed a deleted scene after he incorrectly suggested armored zombies had learned to defend themselves on The Walking Dead. He would presumably just hire actors to portray Yeun’s parents, who would reveal Steven has been mispronouncing his own name. Nevertheless, it would give Yeun an excuse to return . . . not that he needs one.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the next thing that you do because in getting to know this guy, he is so incredibly talented and funny and charming,” Conan shared. “I’m just looking forward to you coming back and talking about the next deal.”
Yeun already has several real projects in the works such as Chew, an animated film based on a comic book featuring a food psychic, and Okja, a Netflix movie by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).
