Honestly, if you watched Beef on Netflix back in 2023 and didn't immediately Google the guy playing Paul Cho, were you even watching? Young Mazino has that weird, rare kind of gravity. One second he’s a gym-obsessed, crypto-bro-adjacent younger brother, and the next, he’s the emotional heartbeat of a show about two people destroying their lives over a parking lot incident. He’s not just a "breakout star." That phrase is overused. He’s a classically trained actor who spent years in the trenches before anyone knew his name.
People think he just appeared out of nowhere. He didn't.
Before the Emmy nominations and the SZA music videos, he was Christopher Young Kim, a kid from Silver Spring, Maryland, playing the violin and doing school plays at Sherwood High. He actually dropped out of the University of Maryland because he hit an "existential crisis." He felt he was headed for a "safe" life that was making him miserable. So, he ran away to New York in 2014. He bartended. He did catering. He spent six years working as a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst for the skincare brand Fresh just to pay for drama school at Stella Adler. That’s the thing about Young Mazino movies and tv shows—they are the result of a guy who actually put in the work when nobody was looking.
The Beef Breakthrough and the Paul Cho Effect
When we talk about the most essential Young Mazino movies and tv shows, everything starts and ends with Beef. Playing Paul Cho wasn't just about looking good in a tank top—though, yeah, the internet definitely noticed that. Mazino actually "beefed up" for the role, hitting the pull-up bars at the Santa Monica pier to get that specific "aimless but athletic" physique.
But the performance was deeper. Paul is a guy who never went to college in a culture that prizes degrees above almost everything else. Mazino played him with this raw, naive sincerity that made you root for him, even when he was making terrible choices. He earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor for a reason. He stood toe-to-toe with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong and didn't blink.
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It’s interesting to look at his earlier TV credits. You can find him in "blink-and-you’ll-miss-it" roles if you’re a superfan.
- Blue Bloods (2019): He played Officer Andy Chen in the episode "Behind the Smile."
- New Amsterdam (2018): He’s credited as "Bilingual Intern #4."
- Prodigal Son (2020): He appeared as Alex Wu in an episode called "The Job."
- Blindspot (2016): Back when he was still credited as Christopher Kim, he played an armored guard.
These aren't the roles that make you a household name, but they are the reps he needed. It’s the classic "ten-year overnight success" story.
Joining the Big Leagues: The Last of Us and Beyond
If Beef put him on the map, The Last of Us Season 2 is what makes him a permanent fixture. Casting him as Jesse was a stroke of genius. For those who haven't played the game, Jesse is basically the moral compass—a pillar of the Jackson community who is incredibly loyal but often pays a high price for it.
The showrunners, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, basically said that as soon as they saw him, he was "undeniable." That’s a heavy word. In 2025, seeing him alongside Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey feels like the natural progression. He’s got that "main character energy" now. It’s a huge jump from being a bilingual intern to being one of the most important characters in a massive HBO franchise.
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But he isn't just sticking to TV. His filmography is starting to fill up with some really cool, indie-leaning projects:
- Opus: An A24 horror/thriller where he plays a character named Kent. Working with A24 again (after Beef) usually means the script is weird and high-quality.
- October: This one is a fugitive thriller directed by Jeremy Saulnier. If you’ve seen Green Room, you know Saulnier doesn't do "light and fluffy." Mazino is starring alongside Cory Michael Smith and Stephen Root. It’s a Halloween-set thriller that sounds like it’ll be pretty intense.
- Trinity’s Triumph: He played Father Kim in this 2023 film, showing he’s not afraid to take on roles that are a complete 180 from the "hot brother" archetype.
Why the Stage Name?
People always ask about the name "Young Mazino." It’s not just a random cool-sounding moniker. He actually picked it in 2018 when he was joining the Screen Actors Guild. There were too many "Christopher Kims" and "Christopher Youngs" already registered.
He took "Young" from his Korean middle name and "Mazino" from a character in a Korean Manhwa (comic book) called Tower of God. The character is Urek Mazino. It’s a deep-cut reference that shows he’s actually a bit of a geek at heart, which makes his transition into a video game adaptation like The Last of Us even more fitting.
What to Watch Right Now
If you want the full Young Mazino experience, you can't just stick to the hits. You have to look at the short films and the unexpected cameos.
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- Good Boy (2022): This is a short film directed by Marielle Guyot. He plays Joon Kim, and it’s a great showcase of his range before the Netflix fame hit.
- SZA’s "Snooze" Music Video: Honestly, this was a cultural moment. Seeing him as one of SZA’s love interests cemented his "internet boyfriend" status.
- Fish Bones (2018): A smaller indie film where he plays Peter Kim. It’s a quiet, observant movie that feels very different from the high-octane drama of his later work.
There is a lot of noise about who the next big leading man in Hollywood is. Usually, it's someone with a famous last name or a massive TikTok following. Mazino is different. He’s a guy who spent years working a corporate job at LVMH while taking acting classes at night. He’s got a first-degree black belt in taekwondo. He’s a classically trained musician. He brings a level of discipline to his roles that you can actually feel on screen.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Young Mazino movies and tv shows, here is how to stay ahead of the curve:
- Track the Jeremy Saulnier Project: Keep an eye out for the release of October. Saulnier’s films usually have a limited theatrical run before hitting streaming, and they are almost always "must-watch" for cinephiles.
- Watch the Shorts: Seek out Good Boy and his earlier shorts like Digging (2013). They are often available on Vimeo or film festival sites and show his evolution as an actor.
- Follow the A24 Slate: Since he’s already done two projects with A24 (Beef and Opus), it’s likely he’ll become a staple of their "repertory company" of actors.
- The Last of Us Season 2: If you haven't played the game The Last of Us Part II, you might want to read a character bio for Jesse. It’ll give you a huge head start on understanding the emotional weight Mazino is going to bring to that role in 2025.
Young Mazino isn't just a flash in the pan. He’s building a filmography that looks like it’s been curated by someone who actually cares about the craft. Whether he’s playing a priest, a survivor in the apocalypse, or a crypto-bro, he’s worth paying attention to.