'Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise': Manny Jacinto wasn't shocked by Top Gun snub
'The Acolyte' actor Manny Jacinto has reflected on all his lines being cut from 'Top Gun: Maverick'.
Manny Jacinto wasn't shocked all his lines got cut from 'Top Gun: Maverick'.
The actor - who is currently playing Sith master Qimir in 'Star Wars' series 'The Acolyte' - was cast as Lieutenant Billy 'Fritz' Avalone, but fans were furious when his dialogue got left on the cutting room floor for the highly anticipated sequel to the 1986 classic.
He told GQ UK magazine: “It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me.
“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.”
Despite trying to focus on the positives, Jacinto acknowledged that he was motivated by the disappointment of his reduced role in the final version of the film.
He pointed out that as "Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise", it's important for "people of colour" to improve representation by writing their own blockbusters.
He added: "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 colour — 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.”
It was diappointing for Jacinto, who has gushed about getting to represent Filipino people in the film just before its release in 2022.
He told TFC at the time: "It's an incredible feeling because even throughout shooting, we were able to meet a good amount of people in the Navy, people in the Air Force, and a good amount of them are Filipino.
"And to be able to represent that for them and have their face kind of represented, meant a lot.”
