Manny Jacinto admitted that his past self \u201cwouldn\u2019t believe\u201d that he made it as a successful actor in Hollywood<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The Freakier Friday actor also reflected on how his role in The Good Place completely changed his life<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The 38-year-old actor caught up with PEOPLE exclusively while attending the TIME100 Next Gala on Oct. 30<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Manny Jacinto<\/a> still can\u2019t quite believe how far he\u2019s come.<\/p>\n The Freakier Friday<\/a> and Star Wars: The Acolyte<\/a> star, 38, caught up with PEOPLE exclusively during the TIME100 Next Gala at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Thursday, Oct. 30. During the conversation, Jacinto shared that his younger self would never believe how his life has turned out.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I told him that I was here [at the TIME100 event], he’d be like, \u2018What are you talking about, man? You should be in an office in front of a computer being an engineer or something,\u2019 \u201d the Nine Perfect Strangers<\/a> actor says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut no, he wouldn’t believe me for sure. It’s wild that I get to be here, so I’m taking in every single moment,\u201d Jacinto adds.<\/p>\n TheStewartofNY\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n Manny Jacinto at the Time100 Next Gala on Oct. 30, 2025<\/p>\n Jacinto also reflected on another major milestone in his life: the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the premiere of The Good Place<\/a>, in which he played fan-favorite character Jason Mendoza in all four seasons of the show.<\/p>\n \u201cThank goodness for that show because I was able to buy groceries,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cI just remember living in a five-bedroom house with a bunch of nurses and just trying to make it work. […] When that audition came through and when I was able to get that [part], [it] changed my life, It really did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[There were] so many special moments,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n Justin Lubin\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty<\/p>\n Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto in ‘The Good Place’ (2016)<\/p>\n \u201cGetting to work with Ted [Danson]<\/a> for the first time, meeting Kristen [Bell] <\/a>and all the babies in the crew, whether it be Jameela [Jamil]<\/a> or D’Arcy [Carden] <\/a>and Will [Jackson Harper]<\/a>. And just being on the lot in Universal and seeing the trams go by \u2014 so many special moments,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n Jacinto previously opened up about another major career milestone: appearing in the 2022 Tom Cruise<\/a>-led blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick<\/a>.<\/p>\n The actor played\u00a0 LT Billy \u201cFritz\u201d Avalone, though he only appeared in the background of a few scenes \u2014 something which caused some waves among his fans.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry,\u201d Jacinto said in a July 2024 interview with GQ<\/a>, adding, \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t shocking to me.\u201d<\/p>\n “There was this sense of where the film was going [on set], like I [could] see them focusing the camera more on these [other] guys and not taking so much time on our scenes,” he explained.<\/p>\n “Fortunately, it still was a great experience \u2014 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,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"TheStewartofNY\/FilmMagic](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/37d1ac327914f62c0668078e750f17f3.jpeg\"\/)
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