Remember that cute little boy who was running from dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park"? He's all grown up and handling a different kind of reptile in the new season of "Justified," which premieres tonight on FX.

He was billed as Joseph Mazzello when he played Tim Murphy in 1993's "Jurassic Park" -- Steven Spielberg hired him after deeming him too young for a role he'd originally been promised in 1991's "Hook" -- but now he's Joe, and he's no longer afraid of reptiles, at least not the long, scaly, slithering kind.

Mazzello's juicy role in the fourth season of "Justified" finds him fearlessly handling poisonous snakes as Preacher Billy, a charismatic new Harlan County figure who's luring the local citizenry to his revival meeting tent.

And once he gets them there, he's made it his mission to talk them out of spending their money on the drugs and alcohol being slung by local crime mogul Boyd Crowder (Emmy nominee Walton Goggins), who, needless to say, is none too pleased that this interloper is trying to take a sledgehammer to his business enterprises.

[Related: Walton Goggins discusses the new season of 'Justified']





Preacher Billy's efforts will not go unchallenged by Boyd, and that makes up one of the new tension-filled storylines on what promises to be another fine season of one of TV's best, stylish, and unique dramas.

The "Justified" gig is Mazzello's third major TV role, following his performance as World War II Marine Eugene Sledge in his old pal Spielberg's 2010 HBO miniseries "The Pacific," and a role as med student Geoffrey Fairweather in last September's Ridley and Tony Scott-produced miniseries remake of "Coma" on A&E.

The actor, who started working professionally at age 5, also played Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz in "The Social Network" and wrote, directed, produced, and co-starred in the 2007 family drama "Matters of Life and Death" with David Strathairn and Rachael Leigh Cook.

Next up on the big screen, Mazzello co-stars in March's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," alongside Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Ray Stevenson -- and Walton Goggins.

Watch a trailer for the new season of "Justified" featuring Mazzello:

"Justified" airs Tuesdays at 10 PM on FX.



