Freakier Friday star Manny Jacinto is one of the artists honored on the 2025 TIME100 list in the category of “The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars.” The actor’s breakout role was nine years ago as Jason Mendoza on The Good Place, and he has since become a beloved leading man. Jacinto came to TV Insider’s office on October 30 to discuss the streaming debut of Freakier Friday (Wednesday, November 12, on Disney+) and look back on his career, which the TIME100 list is helping put into focus.
“It feels unreal,” Jacinto tells us of the honor. “Coming from The Good Place and thinking about how it’s been 10 years since, I never really thought I’d be at this moment.”
Jacinto has a hard time believing the fan fervor to see him as a romantic lead. When Freakier Friday previews started coming out earlier this year, viewers made sure to note on social media that Jacinto was Lindsay Lohan‘s primary love interest (see below). At last, fans were saying, Jacinto leading a romantic comedy!
The Star Wars: The Acolyte star tells us that “disbelief” was his primary reaction to this fan response, an “is this really happening” kind of moment, he says. He felt “a little bit of imposter syndrome, for sure,” as well, which may surprise his fans.
Why does he feel imposter syndrome?
“I don’t know,” he says. “I feel like maybe growing up, you don’t really see a lot of romantic leads that look like me. So it’s just like, oh, will I pull this off? Will people believe me in this role? But with the help of Nisha [Ganatra, Freakier Friday‘s director] and Lindsay and everybody else around me, we made it happen, I think.”
Despite his nerves, the Filipino-Canadian actor says he “was happy to play along” on the sequel. “It’s a role that doesn’t come along very often, especially for someone that looks like me, so I was more than happy to step up to the plate and try and have a great time with it.”
Related
Jacinto does seem to be having a great time with his recent roles, and he confirms he wants to do more rom-coms. The actor and dancer impressed viewers with his performance as a new Star Wars Sith lord in The Acolyte, which showed off his impressive stunt skills but also his strength as a dramatic romantic lead (he thinks Star Wars needs to bring more romance back, and is ready to return to the canceled Acolyte should that opportunity arise). And then came Freakier Friday, which saw him costarring with big names such as Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Looking back on his career in light of the TIME100 recognition, Jacinto says all you can do with your work is “just take it step by step.”
“To be honored by TIME100 is a massive thing. And I’m incredibly proud to be on this list with such great people as well,” he shares. “You kind of stop and think, going back to the whole imposter syndrome, you’re like, ‘I don’t know if I’m good enough for this. I don’t know if I’m good enough for that.’ But when you get honored by TIME100, you can’t help but stop and think, take a moment, and be like, OK, maybe I am doing something right. Maybe. We’ll see.”
Jacinto spoke with us just a few hours before the TIME100 gala in Manhattan on October 30. Heading into the event, he said he’ll “try and be present for every moment that night and just take it all in.”
Freakier Friday, Streaming Premiere, Wednesday, November 12, Disney+
