Who Is Young Mazino? Get to Know 'The Last of Us' Actor

The internet has fallen in love with Young Mazino over the past few years. However, the 33-year-old actor is by no means new to the acting scene.

After working on indie films and television procedurals during his early career, Mazino caught the media’s attention with his supporting role in Netflix comedy Beef, where he played a younger brother caught up in a chaotic masterplan of his big brother, played by Steven Yeun, opposite Ali Wong.

Soon after, R&B superstar SZA cast him as a video vixen in the music video for her hit “Snooze” alongside Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco, and Woody McClain. In the video, Mazino and SZA go through the ups and downs of love, holding hands while sitting by bales of hay, cruising in a motorcycle together, and bickering on the side of the road. Earlier this year, he had a small role in the Ayo Edebiri-led thriller Opus.

Now, Mazino’s fame has reached new heights. He is currently starring in the second season of HBO zombie series The Last of Us alongside Pedro Pascal and former L'OFFICIEL cover star Isabela Merced. His character, Jesse, leads the patrol in the post-apocalyptic Jackson community. After Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) brutal death in the second episode of the season, Jesse takes on a more senior position in the community and is chosen to serve in the community’s council. In the most recent episode, Jesse emerges as a last-minute savior for Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Merced), who nearly get themselves killed by infected in their quest to avenge Joel’s death. 

Being in the adaptation of a widely beloved video game franchise has its challenges. Still, Mazino doesn’t seem too stressed about pleasing every Last of Us fan. In an interview, the actor said, “I did my best, and if the fans hate it, regardless, I think I showed up to do the work and my goal is to be truthful under imaginary circumstances.”

Read on for fun facts about Young Mazino, including details on his college years, birth name, and girlfriend.

Fun Facts About Young Mazino: TV Shows, Dating Life, More

He was born Christopher Young Kim.

If it isn't obvious, Young Mazino is a stage name. When registering for his SAG-AFTRA membership, the actor realized there was already someone registered as Christopher Kim. He decided to use his Korean first name, Young, instead.

As for Mazino? That last name was inspired by Urek Mazino, a character from the South Korean web toon Tower of God. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor expressed his admiration for the character, saying, “His ideal is to not just get to the top of this tower, but to leave the tower and be under the real stars... That name was, in a way, to empower myself to strive for better, and be greater than I felt.”

He’s from the DMV.

Mazino grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, a little over six miles away from Washington, D.C. Silver Spring is also the hometown of Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walters (though the two haven’t crossed paths, as far as we know).

He’s a college dropout.

While in college, the actor tried out a few majors before landing (and later abandoning) anthropology. His passion for acting ultimately led to his decision to drop out. He later attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York.

He wasn’t always an actor.

After dropping out, Mazino moved to New York City. As most aspiring actors do, he took on a few side hustles to pay the bills. He briefly worked as barback at Tavern on the Green before being demoted to the back of the kitchen — “I couldn’t open a wine bottle,” the actor joked on LIVE with Kelly and Mark. He also worked as business intelligence analyst at the LVMH-owned wellness company Fresh. 

He used to play the violin.

Mazino’s mother encouraged him to pursue various activities as a child, including the violin. “I was performing just seemingly endlessly in concerts and recitals,” he said in an interview with People. He nurtured that skill throughout elementary and high school. Despite not pursuing classical violin as a profession, Mazino did play a violinist in the short film Be Your Moment in 2018.

Does Young Mazino have a girlfriend?

The actor is reportedly dating someone, though fans of The Last of Us are wondering it its co-star Merced (who his character dates in the show). However, details on Young Mazino's girlfriend seems to be kept private, minus that her name is Nicole.