Why Jesse From The Last Of Us Season 2 Looks So Familiar

When you consider that the upcoming second season of "The Last of Us" is based on the second game in the Naughty Dog series, the 2020 sequel "The Last of Us Part II" (following the original game in 2013), it makes sense that the HBO series is set to add a number of actors to its ranks. One of those actors is Young Mazino, whose career is really just getting started ... so who does he play?

Mazino, who was born Christopher Young Kim in 1991 to South Korean immigrants in Maryland, got his start in show business after training at the Stella Adler School of Acting in New York (and after changing up his stage name by using his middle name as his first and adopting the name "Mazino" from the "Tower of God" comic books written by S.I.U., largely because there were other Christopher Kims registered with the Screen Actors Guild). He made his first appearance in a nameless role in a small project called "Digging" in 2013 (credited as Christopher Kim) before booking one-off roles in hits like "Blindspot," "New Amsterdam," and "Blue Bloods." (He also appeared in the 2025 thriller "Opus" alongside John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, and Ayo Edebiri.) So what was Mazino's other major role, and what's the deal with his character Jesse in "The Last of Us?"

Young Mazino got a huge career boost — to put it mildly — thanks to the 2023 Netflix original series "Beef." Though the bulk of the show centers around the contentious relationship between contractor Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and small business owner Amy Lau (Ali Wong) after they end up in a road rage incident in Los Angeles, there's a whole cast of supporting characters, including Mazino's Paul Cho. As Danny's irresponsible younger brother who doesn't always carry his weight when it comes to taking care of their elderly parents, Paul ends up trying to start an ill-advised business with Danny, only for it to blow up in both of their faces and drive a wedge between the two brothers. So where does this all lead? Well, Paul ends up meeting Amy and basically falling for her after confiding in her and then kissing her, which presents some pretty obvious problems (Amy is married, for one). To say the whole thing devolves from there is a serious understatement.

Mazino ultimately snagged an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie — as did his co-star Joseph Lee, who plays Amy's artist husband George Nakai, but they both ended up losing to Paul Walter Hauser for his turn in "Black Bird." Still, this obviously put Mazino on the map in a big way ... so who does he play in "The Last of Us" in the show's second season?

In the video game "The Last of Us Part II," Jesse is a member of the protected community of survivors fending off infected cordyceps zombies in Jackson, Wyoming — which we saw in the first season of the show when Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and his ward turned surrogate daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) go to visit Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), who lives there. Jesse is an important part of the community's patrol squad in the game, which surveys the areas around Jackson to check for any enemies, whether they're humans, zombies, or a secret third thing, and he's friends with Ellie and her friend Dina (played by Isabela Merced in Season 2 of the series). That's all we'll say for now so we don't spoil anything for the many, many "Last of Us" fans who haven't played the original games.

Mazino is an excellent performer who brings a ton of heart and emotion to his performances, despite his short resumé at this point, so there's every reason to feel certain that he'll be excellent as Jesse. "The Last of Us" season 2 premieres on Sunday, April 13 at 9 P.M. EST on Max and HBO, and it's already been renewed for a third season.