This is Young Mazino from 'Beef' who will star in 'The Last of Us 2'

Young Mazino, also known as Christopher Young Kim, is an American actor best known for his breakout role in the critically acclaimed Netflix series 'Beef'. This is the story of how he climbed from humble beginnings to being cast in 'The Last of Us 2'.

According to Netflix, young Mazino was born on August 27, 1991, in Maryland, United States of America. He is the third child of Korean immigrant parents and was born in the United States.

Image: youngmazino / Instagram

Did you know?: Young Mazino's journey to be an actor started rather late as Vanity Fair reported that he only decided to venture into the field after dropping out of university to study at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

According to the same Vanity Fair report, his pursuit of acting was met with some opposition, particularly from the Korean American community, where being a college dropout is considered a "stigma" due to cultural expectations.

Image: youngmazino / Instagram

Because there were too many people registered in the Screen Actors Guild with his given name, Young Mazino decided to go with a stage name that has its origins in a Korean webtoon, ‘Tower of God’, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Image: youngmazino / Instagram

According to an interview with Jae-ha Kim, Young Mazino was inspired to pursue acting after seeing Asian actors on screen, such as Daniel Dae Kim in 'Lost' and Steven Yeun in 'The Walking Dead'. He had no idea he'd eventually co-star with Steven Yeun!

According to the South China Morning Post, Young Mazino once worked in corporate finance to fund his acting studies and even dabbled in cryptocurrency to make ends meet.

Image: youngmazino / Instagram

Before ‘Beef’, Young Mazino has been acting in minor roles since 2013 and has been featured in certain TV series such as ‘Blindspot’, ‘New Amsterdam’, and ‘Prodigal Son’.

Image: youngmazino / Instagram

Landing a role in ‘Beef’ in 2023, ten years after he first started his acting journey, was indeed a stroke of luck for Young Mazino, as he went from an unknown actor to a rising star with all the attention in one role.

According to Vanity Fair, Young Mazino was initially intimidated and unconfident about landing the role in 'Beef' due to the show's star-studded cast, which included Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. He received a call back for chemistry reads, and the rest is history.

Image: Netflix

In ‘Beef’, Young Mazino plays the role of Paul Cho, younger brother of main character Danny Cho, who is played by none other than one of his major role models back then, Steven Yeun.

Image: Netflix

Paul Cho was significant not only in the show but also for Young Mazino himself. According to Vanity Fair, the role was meaningful to the actor because it reminded him of a time when he felt mentally trapped and stifled by the pressures around him and that "he might've been Paul".

Image: Netflix

Young Mazino's role in 'Beef' was so successful that he gained massive popularity overnight and received attention from major news outlets such as People, GQ, and Vanity Fair - where being featured is a sure sign that 'you've made it'!

Young Mazino was also nominated for several awards following 'Beef', including the prestigious Emmys. According to Variety, he and Steven Yeun were both honoured at the Unforgettable Gala, which recognises Asian celebrities' achievements in the American entertainment industry.

Young Mazino is now not just an Emmy nominee, but also is a winner for several group award categories that were won by ‘Beef’! The Hollywood Reporter notes that as part of the team at ‘Beef’, he now has wins such as for the 2024 Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and Primetime Emmys under his belt.

It is worth noting that after ‘Beef’, Young Mazino was also cast and featured in American singer-songwriter and rapper SZA’s music video for ‘Snooze’, where he plays her love interest, alongside other big names in music like Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco.

Image: RCA

More is to come for Young Mazino as Variety reports that he is due to star in another big-name production, HBO’s ‘The Last of Us 2’, an adaptation of a hit video game series of the same name, that is expected to air in 2025. Young Mazino will be playing the supporting role of Jesse.

Image: HBO

Being cast as Jesse in 'The Last of Us 2' is a significant achievement for Young Mazino, as the first season of 'The Last of Us' not only won multiple awards, but also featured a star-studded cast including Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Being a part of the show's sequel will undoubtedly bring more success to the actor!

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