Manny Jacinto is a recognizable face thanks to television roles on “The Good Place” and “Nine Perfect Strangers,” but he’s currently breaking through like never before as Qimir/The Stranger on Disney+’s “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte.” Jacinto’s seductive Sith Lord is quite possibly the sexiest character in “Star Wars” history, and he’s quickly become one of the buzziest new additions to the franchise’s canon.
While “The Acolyte” is giving Jacinto his first real taste of the highs that can come with joining a Hollywood mega-franchise, it’s not actually his first big tentpole experience. Before entering the “Star Wars” universe, Jacinto was cast in and shot scenes for “Top Gun: Maverick.” He played LT Billy “Fritz” Avalone, although you’d be forgiven for not noticing considering all of Jacinto’s lines were cut from the movie and he only appeared in the background of a few quick scenes.
“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” Jacinto said in an interview with GQ magazine about “Top Gun: Maverick” cutting him out. “There was this sense of where the film was going [on set], like I can see them focusing the camera more on these [other] guys and not taking so much time on our scenes.”
Whereas “Top Gun: Maverick” served as a blockbuster moment in the careers of Glen Powell and Miles Teller under the presence of Tom Cruise, it did hardly anything to boost Jacinto’s screen presence. Not that the actor was bitter about the experience.
“Fortunately, it still was a great experience—you get to see this huge machine at work, see how Tom Cruise works, and you get to be a small part of this huge franchise,” he told GQ.
Speaking to a Philippines news outlet in 2022 (via GQ), Jacinto remembered being cast in the “Top Gun” sequel back in 2018. He then spent months in flight training with real military pilots in order to prep for shooting.
“You kind of feel like a superhero a little bit,” Jacinto said at the time about his training. “And it’s an incredible feeling because even throughout shooting, we were able to meet a good amount of people in the Navy, people in the Air Force, and a good amount of them are Filipino. And to be able to represent that for them and have their face kind of represented, meant a lot.”
Jacinto told GQ that he didn’t know his role was so drastically cut down until the sequel opened in theaters.
“It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” Jacinto said about the experience. “It’s up to us—Asian Americans, people of color—to be that [for ourselves]. We can’t wait for somebody else to do it. If we want bigger stories out there, we have to make them for ourselves.”
Jacinto is now getting his blockbuster moment thanks to “Star Wars” and “The Acolyte,” the first season of which is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+. The studio has yet to announce a second season. Head over to GQ’s website to read Jacinto’s profile.
