Manny Jacinto appears to be smearing Tom Cruise after revealing that all of his lines have been cut from 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.
The handsome 36-year-old actor was cast as LT Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone in the hit sequel to Top Gun, which also starred Glen Powell and Miles Teller.
The film catapulted Powell and Tiller to A-list status, but it did little to boost Jacinto’s profile, as he was only an extra in post-production.
He only discovered how little he was in the film when it hit theaters in May 2022.
But Jacinto told GQ this week that he wasn’t at all “shocked” by the move, because “Tom Cruise writes stories for Tom Cruise.”
Manny Jacinto appears to have smeared Tom Cruise after revealing all of his lines were cut from 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, due out in May
The handsome actor, 36, was cast as LT Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone in the hit sequel to Top Gun, which also starred Glen Powell and Miles Teller
It’s flattering that there was a bit of outrage [about me being cut]but for me it wasn’t a shock,’ he said.
There was a sense of where the film was going [on set]as i can see they are focusing the camera more on these things [other] “Guys, don’t spend so much time on our scenes.”
Despite training for months for the role, Jacinto only appears in the background in a few scenes and his lines have been cut entirely.
But he is not bitter about the experience, but rather uses it as ‘fuel’.
“It gives you energy, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise writes 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 someone else to do it. If we want to get bigger stories out there, we have to make them ourselves.’
Jacinto expressed gratitude for being part of the Top Gun franchise.
“Luckily, it was still a great experience: you get to see this huge machine at work, you get to see how Tom Cruise works and you get to be a small part of this huge franchise,” he explained.
Top Gun: Maverick grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, against a budget of $170 million.
Set more than three decades after the classic 1986 film, Top Gun: Maverick sees the return of Cruise as fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
“After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing boundaries as a top Navy aviator, but he must face the ghosts of his past as he leads the elite graduates of TOP GUN on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly,” the official said. IMDb summary reads.
Filming took place between 2018 and 2019 in California, Washington and Maryland.
While the film helped Powell and Tiller achieve A-list status, it did little to raise Jacinto’s profile, as he was reduced to a background actor in post-production
But Jacinto told GQ this week that he wasn’t “shocked” by the move at all, since “Tom Cruise writes stories for Tom Cruise.”
The film’s planned 2019 release was postponed after the COVID-19 lockdown thwarted plans for reshoots.
Top Gun: Maverick, which sees Val Kilmer return with the addition of Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm, officially premiered on May 27, 2022.
The film was nominated five times for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Film.
While the Top Gun sequel wasn’t the career catalyst Jacinto had hoped for, he’s gone on to find incredible success with another beloved franchise.
He currently stars as Qimir, a seductive Sith Lord, in the critically acclaimed Star Wars spin-off The Acolyte on Disney+.
The action film series, starring Amandla Stenberg, Carrie-Anne Moss and Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae, launched its first season on June 4.
“A revered Jedi Master (Lee Jung-Jae) confronts a dangerous warrior from his past (Stenberg) as he investigates a shocking series of crimes,” the official synopsis reads.
‘As more clues emerge, they find themselves on a dark path where sinister forces reveal that not all is as it seems.’
It is set approximately 100 years before the events of the first Star Wars prequel film, 1999’s The Phantom Menace.
The series gives fans a glimpse into the end of the era that has become known in Star Wars as the High Republic era.
It’s flattering that there was a bit of outrage [about me being cut]”But it wasn’t shocking to me,” he said. “There was a sense of where the film was going [on set]as i can see they are focusing the camera more on these things [other] boys and don’t spend so much time on our scenes’; seen in May
Jacinto currently stars as Qimir, a seductive Sith Lord, in the critically acclaimed Star Wars spin-off The Acolyte on Disney+
During a recent conversation with The New York Times, Jacinto spoke about his role as an “outsider” in The Acolyte and how he relates to being a minority in Hollywood
It was created by Star Wars fan Lesyle Headland, who is best known for the Netflix series Russian Doll.
During a recent conversation with The New York TimesJacinto talked about his role as an ‘outsider’ in The Acolyte and how he relates to the minority in Hollywood.
“It’s always come down to that feeling of being an outsider, of being in a place that doesn’t accept you. I think that’s why it resonated with Leslye and I,” he explained.
‘Leslye is a female, gay showrunner in this industry and I’m an Asian-American man in this industry, and we’ve had to constantly fight for our position and constantly prove ourselves.
“I think it’s just a parallel to the feeling of wanting to be accepted and really being able to express yourself.”
The first season of The Acolyte concluded on July 16 after eight episodes.
Disney has not yet announced whether the series will be renewed for a second season.