Steven Yeun may be Minari’s most recognizable name to U.S. audiences, but the cast of Lee Isaac Chung’s soulful family drama also boasts two stars of South Korean cinema and television, Yuh-Jung Youn and Yeri Han. For their roles as the spiky grandmother Soonja and hard-working mother Monica (respectively), the actors came to Tulsa, Oklahoma to shoot their first American film. In a conversation with The A.V. Club, Youn—a screen legend since the ‘70s—explained why Chung’s script felt so undeniable, and Han revealed the pressure she felt when Korean press wrote about her “move to Hollywood.” Youn also spoke to the film’s intimate production, which brought the ensemble closer together and made them such a strong family on screen.
Minari is now playing in select theaters, and is available via Premium VOD beginning February 26. Before making the decision to see it—or any other film—in a movie theater, please consider the health risks involved. Here’s an interview on the matter with scientific experts.