Manny Jacinto reflects on reduced ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ role

“The Acolyte” star Manny Jacinto has spoken up about having all his lines cut from “Top Gun: Maverick” in a recent candid interview with GQ.

Discussing the reduced screen time for his role as LT Billy “Fritz” Avalone, the Filipino Canadian actor said he did not find it shocking and still considered it “a great experience” to be part of the franchise. “It kind of fuels you because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise,” he said. “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.”