You might remember Joseph Mazzello as young Tim Murphy in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park. But the 26-year-old actor, born in Rhinebeck and raised in Hyde Park, is now fully grown. A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts who also aspires to direct, Mazzello currently stars in The Pacific—a 10-part HBO World War II miniseries that depicts the tale of real-life soldier Eugene Sledge, and will also star in the upcoming flick The Social Network as one of the founders of Facebook.
You filmed The Pacific in Australia for 10 months. How was that?
It was very exciting. [But] we were [also] running miles with 40 pounds of equipment on our backs across coral. And it’s always 110 degrees, or it’s nighttime and it’s 35 degrees and raining. I thought they would buff us up and really make us all look like G.I. Joe, but because those guys were so emaciated during the war, they had to strip us down. I lost 12 pounds. I didn’t even recognize myself.
Your character hails from Alabama. How did the accent work?
When I heard Eugene’s accent, it was actually pretty dramatic. He whistles the letter “s” between his teeth…. We decided we would do more of a generic Southern accent. So I do a Southern accent, but it’s pretty easy listening.
How did you get into acting?
My dad was on Broadway when he was 16. My mom and dad to this day own a dance studio in the town I grew up in. As I got a little bit older, I started mimicking [my sister, who did commercials]. I watched her and memorized and did it myself. My parents said, well, maybe we should get Joe started in this too!
Steven Spielberg was your biggest fan when you starred in his Jurassic Park. Do you stay in touch with him?
I do, actually—as much as you can with Steven Spielberg, the most important man in Hollywood. I exchange faxes and stuff like that with him.
What do you do to escape when you’re not acting?
I love to drive anywhere. It really puts me at peace to go to places like Utah or Montana or just Kansas. I like getting out of my car and hearing the wind and feeling very little.
The Pacific airs Sundays at 9 PM on HBO through May 16.
