Manny Jacinto is sharing his experience of having all his lines cut from the 2022 summer blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. The actor, currently making waves as a saber-wielding Sith Lord in the Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte, portrayed LT Billy "Fritz" Avalone in Tom Cruise's $1.5 billion box office hit.
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| Manny Jacinto at 'The Acolyte' U.K. premiere in May. COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES |
Despite undergoing rigorous fighter pilot training and maintaining twice-daily gym sessions, the Canadian actor of Filipino-Chinese descent discovered that his entire dialogue was omitted from the final cut. When the film premiered, Jacinto glimpsed his character briefly in the background of a few scenes.
Fans of Jacinto were perplexed—wasn't this the same film that launched Glen Powell and Miles Teller to global stardom? However, the actor remained understanding. “It’s flattering that there was a bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” he told GQ magazine.
“There was a sense on set of where the film was heading, and I noticed the cameras focusing more on these [other] guys, not giving much attention to our scenes. Nonetheless, it was still a fantastic experience—you get to witness this massive production, observe how Tom Cruise operates, and be a part of this huge franchise.”
While he admitted feeling disappointed about the cut, Jacinto saw it as "fuel" as an Asian actor. “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 someone else to do it. If we want bigger stories out there, we have to create them ourselves.”
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