Saint Laurent look; Cartier Santos watch.

The other day, Manny Jacinto desperately needed a social media detox, so the Filipino Canadian actor turned off his phone and took his dogs to spend the balmy June afternoon having a picnic in the park with some of his family in Los Angeles. It felt grounding. Necessary.

Jacinto stars in The Acolyte, Disney’s newest Star Wars series about the final days of the High Republic era, and lately he’s felt the galaxy’s watchful eyes on him. Sure, he’s stolen hearts as a lovable himbo in NBC’s cult comedy The Good Place and shared scenes with Nicole Kidman in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, but never before has he been part of a project this high profile and with a fandom this high maintenance. “It’s a lot of attention, and I’m not used to that,” says the soft-spoken 38-year-old, who plays the shadowy smuggler Qimir. “You definitely can’t help but have this sense of somebody watching over your shoulder. With such a big IP like Star Wars, you’re going to have a little bit of background noise, which adds to the pressure.”

Saint Laurent look; Cartier Santos watch.

 

Star Wars, like many multibillion-dollar franchises with vast and vocal followings, struggles with the Dark Side of its online fanbase. Over the last decade, a small but loud segment of the audience has been notoriously resistant to change in the canon, often directing their anger toward the increasingly diverse casts of its films and series. Actors like Kelly Marie Tran, John Boyega, and Moses Ingram faced a barrage of racist attacks after joining the franchise.

Dior look; Tiffany & Co. Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch.

More recently, trolls have targeted The Acolyte, accusing it of having a “woke” agenda for prominently featuring people of colour and women in its cast and crew. The Leslye Headland-created series follows an investigation into a crime spree that pits a Jedi Master, played by Lee Jung-jae, against a mysterious warrior from his past, played by Amandla Stenberg.

___

“I try not to get too caught up in it, because it’s just a black hole,” Jacinto says about the show’s racist backlash. “I also learned early on in my career that if you’re going to believe the good, you have to believe the bad.”

At this point in Jacinto’s career, there’s a whole lot of good. And as bad as the bad can get, he remains focused on the childhoods he can shape with his latest role rather than the aging detractors who claim he’s ruining theirs. “I think the fans who have become older are trying to hold onto that feeling they experienced when they were younger, and when they see something different, it’s not the same feeling so they don’t appreciate it as much,” he says. “I have to remind myself that kids or younger teens can be inspired by this. What I hope to do with The Acolyte is to inspire those younger Asian boys who want to see themselves on screen. That’s what’s more important to me.”

Hermès look; Cartier Santos watch.

Thom Browne look.

Thom Browne look; Tiffany & Co. Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch in yellow gold and platinum with citrine, diamonds, and pink sapphire.

After all, that’s what sparked his own journey. Born in the Philippines and raised in suburban Vancouver, Jacinto studied civil engineering at the University of British Columbia but got bitten by the performing bug when he saw the Jabbawockeez, the majority Asian American hip-hop dance group, on America’s Best Dance Crew. “It was the first time that I was seeing Filipinos on screen and they’re being celebrated,” he says. “I was like, ‘Man, I want that. I want that feeling. Maybe I can pursue this thing.’ ”

So Jacinto started taking lessons, eventually joining a dance crew of his own. He kept his foray into the arts secret from his parents, his friends, even his girlfriend. “I was afraid of what they might think,” he admits.

Dancing led to acting, but after a few years booking minor spots on B.C.-shot American TV shows (Supernatural, Wayward Pines), Jacinto felt discouraged by the lack of leading roles he saw for Asian men, even in a city as ethnically diverse as Vancouver. The opportunities he came across were often one-dimensional, sometimes insultingly stereotypical. Other Asian artists told him finding success usually meant relocating to their country of origin. Jacinto knew that if he moved to Manila, a part of him would always wonder if he could have made it in Hollywood. So he packed up and headed to Los Angeles to see if he could actualize his dreams.

___

“I remember talking to my acting teacher at the time and being like, ‘I just want more people that look like me on screen. Am I crazy?’ And he told me, ‘With acting, when you have a goal greater than just fame and money and success, you tend to get to that goal a lot quicker because there’s something at stake.’ He was right.”

 

Opportunity came knocking. Jacinto landed an audition for The Good Place almost as soon as he got to L.A., and the show’s producers loved him so much for the role of dim-witted DJ Jason Mendoza they took care of his immigration papers. “It just changed my life,” he says.

Gucci look.

Louis Vuitton look; Tiffany & Co. HardWear graduated link necklace in yellow gold with pavé diamonds.

After that breakout role, Jacinto has received numerous offers to play similar himbo-type characters, but he’s chosen to trust his gut and pursue more complex parts in diverse genres. He’s inspired by Asian actors like Steven Yeun, John Cho, and Randall Park, who push the envelope to create more opportunities not only for themselves but also for their community. (Although leaning into the airhead shtick might have landed him a role in Barbie, I tell him. “Simu was perfect for that role, but if they need another Asian Ken for the sequel, that would be sweet,” he says with a laugh.)

He had a role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, but his lines were left on the cutting-room floor. If anything, it’s only reinforced his conviction to fight for more Asian male visibility in Hollywood. “There’s more to my acting career than just getting a good paycheque or buying a nice house. I find so much fulfilment in getting to inspire other people, in taking on roles that people haven’t seen before for a person that looks like me,” he says. “There’s more weight in the decisions I make in my career. It’s a shame we don’t see a lot of Asian males in lead roles, but that only means I get the opportunity to be a pioneer for that.”

Prada look.

Jacinto will be appearing in a couple of indie projects later this year, including Nicole Dorsey’s fencing thriller Balestra and Nnamdi Asomugha’s racial injustice drama The Knife. He’ll also voice Bamm-Bamm in Bedrock, Fox’s animated adult comedy series continuing the story of the Flintstones. “That’s an example of moving the industry forward, with me being able to take on an iconic role without looking necessarily at what I look like aesthetically, but what I can bring to the character as an actor,” he says of Bedrock, although he stresses he’s only lending his voice to the series. “If it were live-action, I may be pushing some buttons there. You don’t want to offend The Flintstones fanatics.”

Whether or not it necessitates another digital cleanse, Jacinto eagerly anticipates the next opportunity to shake up the formula. “For me, it’s always about finding the next thing that makes me a little scared and makes my palms sweat. It doesn’t matter what type of project it is, whether it be a comedy or drama or thriller,” he says. “I truly feel like it’s just the beginning. I’m just starting. There’s still so much to explore.”

Update as of August 21: Since publication, Disney has announced that The Acolyte will not return for Season 2. 

SHARE