The Last of Us' Jesse Actor Breaks Silence on Landing Season 2 Role

HBO's The Last of Us TV series has revealed some major casting for Season 2, including the pivotal roles of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), Dena (Isabela Merced), and Jesse (Young Mazino). Now that the official announcements are out there, the new members of The Last of Us TV series are getting to let fans know how they feel about taking on the role – and it's Young Mazino's turn. 

Mazino was on the red carpet for the 2024 Emmys, thanks to his breakout role in Netflix's hit series Beef. Reporters were curious about how Mazino feels about playing Jesse in The Last of Us – and this is what he had to say to Variety: 

"After the strike ended, I was able to get a meeting with the showrunners and we kind of just shopped it up. I played the video game before the meeting and we had a long talk about their process and what they're looking for. I guess Beef pushed me the rest of the way. That's the beauty of where I'm getting at now. It's a conversation more than an audition process."

As of now, Mazino hasn't met the rest of his Last of Us family: "I haven't met Pedro or Bella. I have DM'd Bella, but I haven't had the pleasure of talking to them, but I will soon."

As for how he views the role of Jesse – Mazino couldn't talk about it at all, lest he spoil the major events of the second season, but he wasn't shy about how happy he was to be getting the opportunity: "There's nothing I can say. I am happy for me. I'm so happy I can work again."

Like Young Mazino, there's little we can say about how Jesse factors into The Last of Us Season 2 storyline, other than to say he is a major supporting character in The Last of Us Part II video game. He also has a complicated history with Isabela Merced's Dina, which creates a whole new set of character dynamics from the more isolated Joel and Ellie story of the first season. 

Production on Season 2 of The Last of Us is set to begin in February and will continue throughout 2024. HBO hasn't yet provided a specific release date window, but it's being projected that Season 2 won't debut until some point in 2025. There's also been previous indication that The Last of Us: Part II game could be padded with new original material to fill multiple new seasons of the TV show.