This must be the Bad Place, because otherwise we’d have those deleted scenes. In a recent GQ profile, Manny Jacinto reflected on how it felt to have all his dialogue cut from Top Gun: Maverick. While his lack of screentime baffled us here at Vulture, Jacinto — who did months of flight training in real fighter jets and hit the gym twice a day for the role — said he wasn’t surprised when the movie came out and he realized that his character didn’t speak. “It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” he said. “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.” Jacinto diplomatically noted that it was still “great” to be part of such a “huge franchise” and have the opportunity to see how Tom Cruise works. Still, we wouldn’t blame him if he’s become a little wary about other projects — before the Star Wars series The Acolyte began airing, he mused to GQ, “Maybe they cut me out of the whole series. You just never know.” (Ultimately, Disney+ left his scenes in, and there are plenty of thirsty edits to prove it.)
Jacinto went on to suggest that his Top Gun experience has encouraged him to create his own projects. “It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” he said. “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.” He is reportedly now developing new projects with Filipino writers and producers. In the meantime, his fans can look forward to seeing him star alongside Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday 2. He’s also still got some dream roles to check off — Jacinto said he would love to do “an incredible A24 or Neon indie” film or be part of “a new franchise, whether it’s a comic or a manga or an anime, like Naruto or One Punch Man.” As long as he collaborates with people who understand that he and his jawline should not be kept in the background, we’re happy.
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