Jesse is the calm, grounded one in the group, the quiet protector. Was it easy for you to tap into that steady, leader-like energy?
Young Mazino: I don’t know so much about the leadership quality, but I grew up with two sisters, and my dad would always lean down and talk to me. He gave me this line before he left for work, and he would say: “Young, when I’m gone, you are the man of the house. Protect your sisters and your mother.” And I try to carry that with me throughout my life. I’ve had moments; I lifeguarded on the beach before, and I got to really employ some rescue techniques and save some people from drowning. And I think what it is is this control over the fight-or-flight mechanism that we all have, and knowing when to go versus freezing. So there were threads of me in that character that I played.
Jesse’s dynamic with Ellie and Dina walks a very fine line, actually. What was it like navigating that emotional balance as an actor, especially as someone with daughters?
Young Mazino: Yeah, I think a lot of it has to do with the writing and relying on the writing to be informed about the character relationship. But a lot of it, I think, also comes down to the other characters and chemistry. You know, Isabella talks about this in other interviews, but chemistry in a lot of situations cannot really be built. It’s either just there, or there isn’t chemistry. So I got really lucky to work with Bella, Isabella, and Gabriel. We all happened to have natural chemistry. Also, I think the chemistry carried on into the scenes that we did.
Jesse also makes a major sacrifice in the story. What was it like for you to portray such a tragic and heroic moment?
Young Mazino: I think the way in which all that happened was a very realistic take on the nature of this post-apocalyptic world. You could have the greatest character arc and development in life, and they can be taken away from you in a matter of seconds. And I think there’s something so real about that. You know, no one’s safe from whoever cuts the threads on our life. And it doesn’t matter how noble or heroic you are. Sometimes, you could be the worst person and live the longest. So I think it’s just this tragic poetry of life that is.
Yeah, it’s like life, you’re right. The Last of Us isn’t just a zombie show. It’s really a story about humanity, traumas, and reconnecting. What do you think is the emotional core of Season Two?
Young Mazino: I think it’s love and all the aspects of it. What happens when it’s taken away from you, and the choices that you make in order to save what love you have left, or to destroy whoever took it away from you. And all these choices are evident throughout the series, not just in my character and not just in the town of Jackson, but there are other factions. Which is what makes the story so interesting, you see other communities and how they operate in this post-apocalypse. And it really comes down to love, or the absence of it, I think.
Did you play the games? And if so, was there a specific moment you felt, “This is it, I am this character”?
Young Mazino: I think the ending of it. I think the end of my character in the game and how he meets his end. In that moment, I felt a sense of connection because I’m quite aware that we are all on a clock that’s eventually going to run out. And that’s my connection to him. The void is what awaits us all.
