Tanner Zagarino is all about the acceptance of discomfort

Having played roles in projects ranging from Netflix’s action film Aftermath to Apple TV+’s comedy-drama series Shrinking, he is simply happy to be “in the mix and working”. Equally mature is the 26-year-old’s outlook on the industry he calls his bread and butter. In a climate where the idea of perfection is constantly pushed by social media — and exacerbated for those in the limelight — Zagarino refuses to let these matters consume him. Instead, the actor champions “the acceptance of discomfort”. “It feels counterintuitive,” he says, laughing. “But trust me, it helps.”

As far as inspiration for his work is concerned, the California native pinpoints watching Jason Segel and Paul Rudd’s chemistry in I Love You, Man as a pivotal moment. And not just for him — for his older brother, Frankie, too. “We have quoted it every day since we first saw it,” the actor says. “I swear, every time we sign off on a phone call I call him ‘City Slicka’ and he calls me ‘Jobin’.”