The 'Beef' star chats with ET on the 2023 Emmys red carpet.
Young Mazino is more than ready to jump into his new role on The Last of Us! HBO recently announced that the actor will join the hit series for the highly anticipated second season as Jesse, who is reportedly described as "a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at a terrible cost."
"I'm aware of the game and I'm aware of the character that I'm gonna be playing but at the same time, this is an adaptation, it's not gonna be scene for scene," the Beef star tells ET's Nischelle Turner on the red carpet of the 75th annual Emmy Awards.
"This is its own entity. So, hopefully, I bring enough of my own energy into the character," he adds. "I just know I gotta know how to shoot guns and ride horses."
Mazino's casting was announced alongside Isabela Merced and Booksmart alum Kaitlyn Dever, who will all join series stars Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as they return as Ellie and Joel, respectively.
The renewal of The Last of Us was previously announced on Jan. 27, 2023, two weeks after its series premiere became the streamer's second-highest debut ever, behind Game of Thrones. Production on the video game adaptation series' second season gets underway this month in Vancouver, British Columbia, following some delays due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year. A handful of new characters join the zombie apocalypse with new tales to be told and an anticipated make-good on one particularly heartbreaking storyline that fans of the video game are already dreading.
The show's first season scored 24 Emmy nominations, including Best Drama Series.
After becoming a worldwide sensation on Netflix's Beef -- which earned 13 Emmy nominations, including Mazino's Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nod -- Mazino confesses that he's just happy to get back to work.
"I'm just happy to be employed and happy to have a job. The strike was brutal," he says. "I just can't wait to get back on the set. That's really all it is. But also to be on a set like The Last of Us, with visionary show [creators] like Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann -- I can't wait to get to work."
Mazino has already become a bit of a household name thanks to Beef and a steamy appearance in SZA's "Snooze" music video, but his stint on Last of Us has the potential to make him the internet's new boyfriend.
And, although the actor says the idea is "gnarly," he says he'd rather "focus on like one person," appreciating quality over quantity.
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally set to take place last September, was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Hosted by Anthony Anderson at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the ceremony will air live Monday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will be streamed Tuesday, Jan. 16 on Hulu. Keep checking ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage and for the full winners' list.
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