Manny Jacinto Reveals His Thoughts About ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Lines Being Cut

Manny Jacinto is opening up about his lines being cut from Top Gun: Maverick.

The 36-year-old fan-favorite actor, who currently stars in the Star Wars series Acolyte, was supposed to have a bigger part in the Top Gun sequel, but his appearance in the film was reduced majorly and all of his lines were cut.

He played LT Billy “Fritz” Avalone and only appeared in the background of a few scenes.

Now, he’s speaking out about his lines being cut and how he feels about his role being reduced.

“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” he told GQ. “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 being disappointed in the reduced role, he admits it has fueled him.

“It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” Manny shared. “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.”

If you missed it, Manny has joined the cast of the upcoming Freaky Friday sequel, which is currently filming in Los Angeles. Details on his role are currently unknown!