Tom Cruise got some shade from an actor in Top Gun: Maverick whose scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
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Manny Jacinto is beloved by fans for his breakout role in The Good Place. Now he’s starring in the Star Wars series, The Acolyte. However, the high-profile actor’s role in Tom Cruise’s latest Top Gun film is a blink and you’ll miss it endeavor.
Long after filming, Jacinto discovered that his role had been reduced to mere seconds of screen time, with all his dialogue left on the cutting room floor.
Of course, Maverick grossed nearly $1.5 billion globally, propelling the careers of Glen Powell and Miles Teller. However, Jacinto couldn’t ride the same wave of success, leaving his fans raging.
Now Jacinto is weighing in on why his role was so reduced in the Final Cut.
Manny reflected on how his cut from the film caused a public stir, understanding it now as part of Tom and his team’s clear vision. While some actors got the spotlight, others, like Manny, felt relegated to the background.
“It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me,” Jacinto recently told GQ about his reduced role. “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.”
Manny Jacinto Still Learned a Few Things on the Set of ‘Top Gun’ Alongside Tom Cruise
Despite the setback, the 36-year-old actor still learned a few things.
“Fortunately, it still was a great experience,” he added. “You get to see this huge machine at work, see how Tom Cruise works. You get to be a small part of this huge franchise.”
However, he did throw a bit of shade Tom’s way.
He explained that ultimately, Cruise is creating vehicles for himself; he’s not sweating other actor’s careers.
“It kind of fuels you. At the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” he pointed out.
He added that POC actors need to strive to make film roles for themselves, too.
“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.”