‘Tom Cruise writes stories for Tom Cruise’: Manny Jacinto on ‘Top Gun’ snub

Tom Cruise is undeniably one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and it seems like he likes the spotlight all to himself.

The Good Place star Manny Jacinto believes this star power may have been why all his scenes were cut from the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick.

The 36-year-old actor, who was cast as LT Billy “Fritz” Avalone in the blockbuster sequel, opened up about the experience to GQ magazine, recalling that he “wasn’t shocked” when he finally saw how little he actually appeared in the film when he finally saw it in theaters in May 2022.

“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,” Jacinto shared.

Reflecting on the experience, Jacinto chose to view it positively.

“It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” he expressed, further explaining, “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.”

Despite the disappointment, Jacinto concluded on an optimistic note.

“Fortunately, it 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,” he said.