‘Top Gun: Maverick’ actor claims “Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise”
Manny Jacinto, who appeared in Top Gun: Maverick, has addressed having his lines cut from the movie and claimed that Tom Cruise is only interested in films that centre around his character.
The actor, best known for his role in the hit sitcom The Good Place, was cast as LT Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone in the highly-anticipated sequel in 2018 before the movie finally arrived in cinemas four years later. Notably, Top Gun: Maverick played a significant role in turning Glen Powell into an A-list talent, but Jacinto’s career didn’t endure the same level of meteoric boost.
While he dedicated himself to the role, including months of intense gym sessions and training in a genuine fighter jet, Jacinto didn’t get the rewards for his hard work. Upon the movie’s release, his fanbase was dismayed to discover that his character didn’t utter a single word of dialogue in the final cut.
Of course, this is part and parcel of Hollywood, which Jacinto accepted a long time ago. Therefore, while he wasn’t pleased to effectively be relegated to bit-part status, it didn’t come as a surprise to the Filipino-Canadian actor.
“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” he commented on the backlash during a new interview with GQ.
Despite his lack of dialogue, Jacinto still mined positives from the project, stating: “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. 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.”
While Jacinto’s lines being cut is damaging in terms of representation, the actor believes it has given him the drive to step up and create leading roles for himself in the future, stating, “It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise. 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.”
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Cruise has started plotting a third Top Gun film, which is currently in development at Paramount. Top Gun: Maverick was a roaring success in box office terms, generating close to $1.5 billion, which was incredibly vital for cinemas, considering it was released shortly after pandemic restrictions ended and provided a much-needed boost.
In a four-star review of Top Gun: Maverick, Far Out wrote: “Top Gun: Maverick soars alongside its predecessor in an attack formation, firing so many missiles it guarantees to hit the dizzying heights of the original, not to mention an arsenal of homages and nods to the previous film that, despite sometimes bordering on the ridiculous, feel as joyful, comfortable and nostalgic as a Happy Meal.”
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