Hollywood truly doesn’t deserve Manny Jacinto.
After years of appearing in minor one-off roles on shows like The 100, Once Upon a Time, iZombie, and more, the Filipino-Canadian actor finally rose to fame when he starred in The Good Place as the lovable, albeit not very intelligent, Jason Mendoza. Since then, his devoted online fandom has sung his praises, both as a skilled actor and as a gorgeous, easy-on-the-eyes heartthrob. His latest role in the nostalgic blockbuster Freakier Friday has pushed Jacinto back into the pop culture conversation, with many fans pointing out how well he would do in a leading role.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Jacinto reflected on his career’s milestones and the setbacks that came with them. After the success of The Good Place, the actor went on to become Star Wars’ first-ever Filipino lead in the Star Wars series, The Acolyte, only for the show to be contentiously cancelled after its first season. He was later cast in Top Gun: Maverick, only to be relegated to a quick, non-speaking role onscreen. However, this hasn’t deterred the star. “It’s this stubbornness I’ve got, or ambition, where it’s like ‘You can’t tell me, no,’” Jacinto told Rolling Stone. “I will push through and get this done.”
Subverting Hollywood Biases
It’s clear that Jacinto’s perseverance has paid off, as he shines bright in Freakier Friday alongside Lindsay Lohan as her love interest, Eric. “Coming into [Freakier Friday] knowing that it was a big franchise and a huge success, there is a little bit of pressure,” said Jacinto. “But because [Eric] is new, I don’t have those preconceived ideas of what my character should be.”
Jacinto also spoke about how his role in the film subverts Hollywood’s bias against giving heartthrob, leading man roles to Asian men. “I’ve got to give so much credit and kudos to our director Nisha Ganatra,” said the actor. “She’s South Asian, and she knows the stereotypes, the tropes that are unfortunately put on Asian males, but Asian people in general. So she was like, ‘I want to flip the script. I want to see a strong, romantic Asian husband and father figure.’”
Keeping Romance (On-screen) Alive
“I’m very traditional in how I view relationships and the idea of romance,” continued Jacinto. “Maybe it was the movies that I watched growing up, I was like, ‘I want that for myself.’ It could also be seeing my parents so committed to one another, but there’s something so special about being able to stay with a partner for decades. That’s the harder choice, the harder path.”
The interview concluded with Jacinto reflecting on romance not being seen as serious or important as other film genres. “You think about the Netflix romcom, and it’s available to anyone and everyone with the Netflix subscription,” said Jacinto. “But the unfortunate aspect of it is that rom-coms aren’t necessarily on the big screen anymore, and you’re not able to have that visceral experience. You’re stuck at home, you have your phone, you’re distracted, all these things come into play.”
“I think romances are important,” added Jacinto. “They need to be given as much thought and financial backing as some of these other projects, or else we’ll just constantly end up with these Hallmark movies of the day. I mean, nothing wrong with the Hallmark movies, my mom watches them all the time. But I think people are craving another The Notebook, another The Holiday, or Love Actually. And hopefully we can get back to that.”
