Lightsaber Envy and Three-way Rumbles: The Esquire Interview with Manny Jacinto

Manny Jacinto is currently starring in the new Star Wars TV series The Acolyte. The actor, perhaps best-known for his breakout role in The Good Place, plays Qimir, an ally of the mysterious assassin Mae. In this interview, Jacinto talks about being part of the Star Wars universe, why it was a relief that his character isn't a Jedi, and his thoughts on toxic fans. Excerpts: 

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ESQUIRE: First of all, congratulations. Just watched the show. It's terrific, enjoying it so much more than any of the past Star Wars shows, which are great, by the way.

Manny: Thanks, man.

I hope I don't ask you the same questions (the other journalists asked) that you're gonna have to say the same things over and over again.

No, no worries.

So, how did you get this gig? Let’s start there.

How did I get this gig? Yeah, it wasn't the usual audition. I was very lucky. I basically just had a meeting with Leslye (Headland, the Acolyte’s showrunner). She reached out to my team and she wanted to meet me. And we met at a local spot and we just talked about a character.

I can't reveal too much because it's a bit of a spoiler, but like she just was trying to figure out how to tackle this (sort of) character — without spoiling it — a character that's a bit more funny and lighthearted in the Star Wars universe.

She's seen my work before, like in The Good Place. And she thought that I could really do something with this character. Then I think it was two or three months later, she just called me and she was like, “Do you want to be a part of the show?” And I was like, “Hell yeah! definitely!” 

That sounds terrific. So would you say that Leslye wrote the part for you?

Yes, I mean, it's weird for me to say this because you never think that whatever happened (was just for you), but talking to Leslye she actually reiterated this when we were in London doing press. She was like, when she was writing this character, the only person that she could think of was me.

I mean, she didn't see me and then write the character. She had a character in mind and the person that she could only think of that would fit into this mold was myself, which was very, very flattering.

The character that you play, Qimir, I love him by the way, he does feel like some sort of comic relief. He's very different from your regular Star Wars character. Was there any hint of disappointment that he was not a Jedi? You know how it is, you're gonna be in Star Wars …

Yeah, I know. You definitely get like lightsaber envy. You know, you definitely wanna put on that robe and look cool. But then after seeing them train and sweat, I'm like, okay, maybe I dodged a bullet here, not having to go through that pain. But I think the great part about Qimir is that he isn’t (a Jedi), you have guys like Han Solo. You guys have like characters like Lando or the Mandalorian.

Like they basically, you know, form their own path. They're not really about the light side or the dark side. I think those are characters that become fan favorites, you know, because they're unique and different. 

That's right. You mentioned some great characters who aren't Jedi, so he's neither light or dark. Could you tell us a little more about his arc over the series? 

I mean, all I can say is that you realize that he has a relationship, like almost a sibling relationship. At least that's how Amandla (Stenberg) and I approached it, a sibling relationship with Mae. Like they depend on each other in order to please like this Master, basically like their dad or her dad.

And it becomes like, yeah, these siblings trying to survive in order to, yeah, appease this Master so that they can, you know, get out of this alive. It very much becomes about that relationship and how it evolves, how they depend on one another. And right now it's, yeah, it's like very much like a conflict, but then maybe soon they realize that they need each other to survive.

So yeah, that's all I can really say without spoiling anything. But there's a lot that unfolds within that relationship.

Okay, so I personally feel that was a missed opportunity. I love the opening scenes, the fight scenes are almost balletic. Is there a chance we will be seeing some of your dance moves in this?

Yeah, I mean, dance moves, that's really, yeah, maybe a musical episode! I know, I mean, let me talk to Leslye and maybe we can figure something out! 

I think you're gonna be a fan favorite and I would hate to see you like, you know, get run through by a lightsaber. In the middle of the season.

Yeah, maybe, we’ll see. 

I wanna ask this silly question. All right, who would win in a three-way rumble between Jason Mendoza (Jacinto’s character in The Good Place), Scott (the character he voices in the Disney+ animation Hailey’s On It!) and Qimir. 

Who would win? Oh man, three-way rumble. Scott, Jason or Qimir? That's a great question, man. I think, I wanna say, I think Jason isn't smart enough to kind of get his way around this rumble. So I think he'd probably be the first one to go.

Scott is a little too nice. So he might get like, I don't think he has the darkness inside of him to fight, but then Qimir, I think he has a little, yeah, I think he has something in him that'll, he just, he needs to survive. I think he comes from that. That's what I've always rooted him in. So I think Qimir might be the guy that ends up winning the rumble, if anything. That's a great question.

Finally, I don't know if you've been on social media, but the Acolyte has been taking a beating, especially Leslye. Every social media post about The Acolyte gets overrun by a certain subset of Star Wars fans. Have you ever had any negative comments social media reactions or have you seen your female counterparts experience that?

Yeah. 

If you're aware.

Yeah. I mean, there's always gonna be, I think with any project, not just Star Wars, there's always gonna be people that are vocal about not liking something. I think it's just so much more pronounced because Star Wars has such a huge fan base and the fans are very passionate. But I think it just kind of comes with the territory. And at the end of the day, I think we're just really proud of what we’ve made.

I'm like, Amandla and I are really proud. Leslye and I are really proud. Like, I think at the end of the day, we made our dreams come true.

And if some people don't like it, that's okay. But if some people love it and are inspired by it, that's the cherry on top. But yeah, you try not to pay attention to it too much because you're not gonna be able to please everybody.

But as long as you're proud of the work, I think that's what it comes down to.