Manny Jacinto has battled with stereotypes throughout his career, but he's finally getting the kind of opportunities he deserves. The actor plays Lindsay Lohan's leading man in Freakier Friday, which is the sequel to the 2003 hit, Freaky Friday, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Jacinto shared his journey as an actor in a new interview with Vanity Fair, where The Acolyte star revealed the actors who inspire him as someone who never fit the prototypical Hollywood leading man. He names Dev Patel, Steve Yuen, Pedro Pascal, and Keanu Reeves as his inspirations. Jacinto says, "Guys who have not only done great work, but have created work for themselves—those are the guys that I aspire to be."
Among his body of work, his role as The Stranger, or Qimir, stands out as the edgiest. Manny has played a romantic interest several times, so bagging the role of a dark side user in Star Wars was a big deal for him. Like Hayden Christensen, Jacinto is another Canadian in Star Wars, but he's also Filipino, and he always struggled to find someone who resembled him in Hollywood. Growing up, he had few actors he could look up to, and says, "Even to this day, it’s still not that easy to see people who look like me who are leading men.”
While he still struggles with imposter syndrome and often wonders if it's all worth it, he continues to impress with his performances. He admits The Acolyte was a game-changer for him, and credits creator Leslye Headland for having faith in him and helping him open up to the idea of being a leading man. Jacinto is thankful as “Leslye gave me permission to not only just be myself on screen, but also know that me, as Manny, is enough to be a leading man,”
Despite Manny's hesitance to step into a leading role, Headland encouraged him to change his point of view. Jacinto adds, "She truly gave me that power—that idea that I can embody the scope of what a leading man is. It became more of a reality.”
Jacinto has a great example to follow in Pedro Pascal, who's had his share of struggles in Hollywood. Like Jacinto, Pascal also wondered if it was worth it and nearly changed professions a few years back. It took a lot of support and patience for Pedro to land a part in Game of Thrones, which he says changed the course of his career. Thanks to his breakout performance as Oberyn Martell, Pascal landed a major role in Narcos. Then came the success of The Mandalorian, which opened the door for leading roles in The Last of Us and Marvel's Fantastic Four.
It may take a while, but Manny Jacinto might find himself in the same place as Pedro Pascal if he continues to have faith in his talent. Of course, a second season of The Acolyte would also help, and he is ready to play Qimir again at a moment's notice.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.