Young Mazino, the surprising standout talent in Netflix’s "Beef," on Thursday shared a relatable tidbit about his past: He, too, once worked a 9-to-5 office job while trying to launch his acting career.
Critics and fans have lauded "Beef, also starring Ali Wong and Yeun, as a contender for best show of the year. And Mazino, who won over hearts and minds as the misfit but resourceful little brother, was nominated in July for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
What fewer people know, however, is that before he landed the role of Paul Cho, he was a senior business intelligence analyst — meaning he was in charge of creating financial reports and analyses for the company’s global markets — for the beauty and skin care brand Fresh, Inc., according to his LinkedIn.
On Thursday, the beauty company posted a video to TikTok featuring Mazino sharing that for nearly six years - from 2014 to 2020 - he had worked for Fresh, Inc. in New York City, where he “crunched a lot of numbers.” Mazino, 32, said that while employed at Fresh, Inc. he was attending many auditions to try and kick-start his acting career.
“What I would do is print out my lines and have them on my lap. So then doing this,” Mazino said while pretending to be typing, “and then when no one was looking, I study my lines.”
“I had a little system going on,” he said. “Good times.”
In an interview with People magazine, he said, “It was serendipitous because I became friends with the HR manager when I was putting together hiring packets as a temp, and he knew I was an actor.”
He added that work at Fresh was a “survival job” that supported his creative pursuits, rent and long-distance relationship.
More recently, Fresh, Inc. partnered with Mazino for a series of videos posted to the company’s official TikTok. In a clip posted on July 12 commemorating his Emmy nomination, he shared his favorite story from his time at Fresh, Inc. involving a rat, Tupperware and a visit to HR.
“One time I caught a rat in my apartment and I had it in a Tupperware ‘cause I was going to let it go at Union Square, the park, but I was running late for a morning meeting, so I just brought it with me to the office,” he said.
Mazino said his favorite Fresh, Inc. product is the Crème Ancienne. He also shouted out his favorite co-workers, Amelia Peng, who he said “fought for me,” and Lam Tran, who he said encouraged him to pursue acting full time.