Young Mazino, Emmy-nominated for his breakout role in Beef, has joined the cast of HBO‘s The Last of Us. He is one of three major additions for the upcoming second season of the post-apocalyptic drama, which is based on the video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog for PlayStation. On the series, a co-production between HBO and Sony Pictures Television, he is joining recently cast Kaitlyn Dever.
Mazino will plays Jesse, a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost. In The Last of Us Part II game, which the TV series’ second season is based on, Jesse is portrayed by Stephen Chang. Dever plays another character from the The Last of Us game sequel, Abby.
“Young is one of those rare actors who is immediately undeniable the moment you see him,” said Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us‘ co-creators, writers, executive producers and directors. “We’re so lucky to have him, and we can’t wait for the audience to see Young shine in our show.”
The Last of Us’ story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
The cast of Season 1, which was shot in Calgary, Alberta, also included Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, Elaine Miles as Florence, Ashley Johnson as Anna, and Troy Baker as James.
As Deadline revealed in March, Season 2 will be filmed in Vancouver as a significant part of the story in The Last of Us Part II video game is set in the Pacific Northwest. Production is slated to begin in February.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Mazin and Druckmann. Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam also executive produce.
Coming off the Creative Arts portion of the 2023 Emmy Awards, The Last of Us topped the list of winners with eight trophies, including Guest Actor In a Drama Series awards for Offerman and Reid.
In addition to Beef, Mazino’s TV credits include guest appearances on Prodigal Son, Blue Bloods and Blindspot. He is repped by UTA, M88 and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.