diff --git a/gst/y4m/gsty4mdec.c b/gst/y4m/gsty4mdec.c
index 958512fb32..7011bacf5b 100644
--- a/gst/y4m/gsty4mdec.c
+++ b/gst/y4m/gsty4mdec.c
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ gst_y4m_dec_parse_header (GstY4mDec * y4mdec, char *header)
 {
   char *end;
   int format = -1;
-  int interlaced_char;
+  int interlaced_char = 0;
 
   if (memcmp (header, "YUV4MPEG2 ", 10) != 0) {
     return FALSE;