Manny Jacinto, an actor who has steadily carved out a distinctive presence in Hollywood, is now firmly in his leading-man era. This ascension is perhaps best encapsulated by his role in Freakier Friday, the new sequel to the beloved body-swap comedy. In the film, which sees Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprise their roles, Jacinto plays Eric Davies, Anna’s unsuspecting fiancé. He finds himself caught in a generational body-swapping chaos, completely unaware that his bride-to-be has swapped places with his stepdaughter-to-be, and that his own daughter has traded places with his future mother-in-law
At thirty-seven, Jacinto expresses a genuine sense of awe at his trajectory. “It’s wild that I get to do this,” he told InStyle. “I never would have thought I’d play the love interest to Lindsay Lohan; I watched Lindsay Lohan as a kid. It’s wild what you can do if you put your mind to it.”
Breaking Hollywood Molds
The significance of this role extends beyond personal achievement. Hollywood has historically limited Asian American men in romantic leading roles, often relegating them to supporting characters or comedic relief. Jacinto’s casting in a major studio film like Freakier Friday signals a subtle but important shift. As Veronica Fitzpatrick, a Filipino American adjunct assistant professor at Brown University, explained to Yahoo,
“There’s something pleasurable about seeing an Asian man romancing anyone and getting a break from the more familiar interracial combo of white man/AAPI woman. That we’re seeing it in a mainstream film like Freakier Friday … helps further normalise the very normal, very not-novel idea that AAPI men have sex appeal and romantic currency.”
Jacinto is the first Southeast Asian romantic hero in a major Disney theatrical release, a milestone for Filipino communities globally who rarely see themselves reflected in mainstream romances.
From Jason Mendoza to Sith Lord and Beyond
Jacinto, raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, first charmed audiences as the endearing, often aloof, Jason Mendoza in NBC’s The Good Place. This breakout role established his comedic timing. From there, he branched into varied projects, including a starring role in the Nicole Kidman-led series Nine Perfect Strangers and a brief appearance (with famously cut lines) in Top Gun: Maverick.
His portrayal of the brooding Sith Lord the Stranger in Disney+’s The Acolyte marked a significant turning point, redefining him as a complex and emotionally resonant actor. It even earned him the “TikTok treatment,” with shirtless edits on the app leading fans to rethink their allegiances. Leslye Headland, The Acolyte’s creator, noted to GQ that “The Stranger flips classic gender tropes of hypersexualisation. But a true sex symbol is someone who resonates emotionally with fans. Manny’s magnetism is rooted in his acting, not just his physique. His ability to access vulnerability, empathy and longing is very compelling.”
Jacinto is quick to credit the pivotal role of women in his career. “Women have been a huge champion for me. It’s always been women who have been able to look past what I have done and see the potential of what I can do,” he shared with InStyle, naming Nicole Kidman, Leslye Headland, and Freakier Friday director Nisha Ganatra as key figures. “Thank God I get to do this during this day and age when there are so many women at the top … who see my potential and are not afraid to explore that.”
A Full Circle Moment
While Jacinto now commands romantic leads, he is spoken for off-screen, married to Canadian actress Dianne Doan since 2021. He continues to challenge himself, eager for more franchise work and even considering acting in different languages, including French and a “little Tagalog.” He jokes about a Dirty Dancing 2 as a long-term goal but feels he’s “just getting started.”
Freakier Friday, set for release on August 8, positions Jacinto as a central figure in its comedic chaos. The actor, who is not British, even adopted a fake accent for his role as Eric Davies, the dashingly charming chef and single dad. Director Ganatra noted that Jacinto’s role grew as they realized his talent, stating, “He is just one of those rare artists that can do this earnestness that you believe. He can do comedy and he can do drama and when I realized the breadth of his talent, we just kept asking him to do more and more and more.”
Jacinto’s character in the film remains unaware of the body swaps, requiring him to play off complex layers of confusion. “He does the perfect look away at the right moment, or look into their eyes in the right moment, where you see that he kind of knows something’s wrong, but he’s just trying to keep everyone happy,” Ganatra observed. “And I think he ends up stealing your heart at the end of the movie, because he is just trying so hard to buoy everybody up. Manny has a lot of that in him; he has a big, huge heart.”
Read more: Manny Jacinto Leads Absurdist Western Comedy ‘The Stalemate’ With Ben Foster and Fiona Shaw
This Disney debut for Jacinto, the first Southeast Asian romantic hero in a major theatrical release, could influence future casting decisions. Early buzz suggests a positive reception, potentially cementing his status as a sustained leading man in Hollywood’s evolving landscape.
