5 Essential Facts About Young Mazino, Star of The Last of Us
Young Mazino is preparing for his role in The Last of Us, which is destined to catapult him to stardom.
The talented actor, previously seen as Paul Cho in season 1 of Netflix’s Beef, will portray Jesse in the upcoming second season of HBO’s acclaimed series.
“I never looked down on my character, but he’s somewhat of a Boy Scout,” Mazino remarked to Vanity Fair in March 2025. “He really brought out the brighter, more positive aspects of myself because I think I naturally veer a bit darker spiritually.”
Despite having a few significant roles, the actor is still coming to terms with his rise to fame.
“I’m still baffled by it all,” he expressed in the same interview. “I have no idea where this world is heading, but it feels increasingly surreal.”
The Last of Us centers on a group of survivors in the aftermath of a pandemic that decimates humanity, caused not by a virus but rather a fungus. The villain in this scenario is cordyceps, a real-life fungus that in the show evolves to infect humans, turning them into zombie-like creatures. While minor characters come into play […]
Continue reading for everything you should know about Mazino:
1. He’s from Maryland
Mazino was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, by his parents who immigrated from Korea. He remained in Maryland for college, initially attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, before heading to New York City for the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
2. Young Mazino Is His Stage Name
The actor’s birth name is Christopher Young Kim, as noted in some of his earlier acting credits. He adopted a stage name because when he first registered with SAG-AFTRA, he found several actors had the same name, Christopher Kim. ‘Young’ is his Korean name and ‘Mazino’ originates from Urek Mazino, a character from the animated series Tower of God.
3. Acting Wasn’t Always His Path
In the initial stages of his acting career that kicked off in 2013 with minor roles in various films and television shows, Mazino was also juggling a corporate job.
“I was terrified that I would be fired if my employer discovered I was sneaking off to auditions during lunch breaks, coming in a bit late, or using vacation days impulsively to film short projects,” he disclosed in a previous interview with GOAT.
4. He Received an Emmy Nomination
After the premiere of Beef in April 2023, Mazino was recognized as a breakout star and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie that same year. (He lost to Paul Walter Hauser for Black Bird.)
5. He’s an Avid Anime Enthusiast
Mazino shared that he has a “huge passion” for both manga and anime in a 2023 interview with Timid Mag.
“I believe that live-action adaptations of anime can yield some really exciting content,” he remarked.
