Actor Manny Jacinto said all his lines were cut from the small role he had on “Top Gun: Maverick.” After working with Tom Cruise, he said he’s not surprised.
The Filipino-Canadian actor looked back on his small role in the Tom Cruise-led 2022 blockbuster film and said that he rehearsed with speaking lines, but the final cut didn’t include any of them. He spoke about his experience in an interview with GQ published July 17. Jacinto explained this was a learning process that taught him an important lesson about the entertainment industry.
“It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” he told the publication.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 28: Manny Jacintoattends the “Star Wars: The Acolyte” UK Premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 28, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) Getty Images
The actor said he began to realize on-set that the long-awaited role may not turn out to be quite what he expected.
“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 told GQ.
“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,” he said.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 07: Tom Cruise attends London’s Air Ambulance Charity Black & White Gala Ball 2024 at Raffles London at The OWO on February 7, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Jacinto’s fans rallied around him when he was dramatically reduced to a non-speaking role.
“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” he said.
Jacinto touched on diversity in film and expressed that each person has to act on their own accord if they want to be impactful in this industry.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 04: Manny Jacinto attends the “Top Gun: Maverick” world premiere on May 04, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
“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,” he said, according to GQ.
Jacinto played LT Billy “Fritz” Avalone and only appeared in the background of a few scenes. Cruise served as a producer on the film. (RELATED: Robe Lowe Recalls Blacking Out On Hotel Floor After Being Hit By Tom Cruise)
He is also starring in the series “The Acolyte” Star Wars series on Disney + and took a jab at his experience on “Top Gun” early in the interview with GQ, saying, “I mean, at this point, who knows? Maybe they cut me out of the whole series. You just never know.”
