Manny Jacinto may not have been given his opportunity to shine in one of the biggest movies of the last decade, but he insists he’s not holding any grudges.
The Good Place actor – who’s currently starring as Qimir on Disney+’s Star Wars spin-off series The Acolyte – played a minor role as lieutenant Billy “Fritz” Avalone in Top Gun: Maverick, which was the second highest-grossing film of 2022.
But while he shared the screen with stars like Tom Cruise, Glen Powell and Miles Teller in the billion pound-grossing movie, his own lines didn’t quite make it into the final cut.
Fans were disappointed that he didn’t feature more prominently in the much-hyped action sequel, but it didn’t come as much of a surprise to the actor.
“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” he shared in a recent interview with GQ.
“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.”
He insisted: “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.”
Casting Manny Jacinto on Top Gun Maverick and not even gracing us with a SINGLE CLOSE UP? Jail. pic.twitter.com/ymUceEoTBb
— Emma Lynn (@emmaspacelynn) June 5, 2022
However, he did also admit that the debacle helped motivate him going forward.
“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 colour—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.”
Back in 2022, Manny spoke to anews outlet in the Philippines about his experience preparing for his Top Gun role, sharing: “You kind of feel like a superhero a little bit.”
He continued: “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.”
Another star also came close to having his moment in the spotlight in Top Gun: Maverick.
Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton revealed in a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair that he had to reluctantly turn down the opportunity because it clashed with his racing schedule.
He reflected on that conversation as “the most upsetting call that I think I’ve ever had.”
