\u201cIt\u2019s a good, busy time,\u201d he says from a grey room in Los Angeles. \u201cI think we\u2019re just trying to bounce back from the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arguably the most exciting of all of these new additions to Jacinto\u2019s resume, however, is his\u00a0latest role in Nine Perfect Strangers<\/a> \u2013 the Amazon Prime Video<\/a>\/Hulu drama based on a novel of the same name from Lianne Moriarty (Big Little Lies<\/a>). Executive produced by and starring Nicole Kidman, the miniseries focuses on an elusive and exclusive wellness retreat ran by mysterious Russian resort director Masha.<\/p>\n When nine city-dwellers (played by the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, Regina Hall and other stars) with hectic, unfulfilled lives begin a 10-day stay in the hopes of mental and physical transformation, they start to suspect that the resort and its unorthodox methods are hiding a legion of dark secrets.<\/p>\n Jacinto plays Yao, a former paramedic and Masha\u2019s right-hand man at Tranquillum House who seems to blindly follow the charismatic retreat director \u2013 a role he auditioned for via video tape. \u201cI didn\u2019t hear for months on end, I thought I didn\u2019t get it,\u201d he says. \u201cBy the end of it, I got a call saying that I was going to be working with the one and only Nicole Kidman and one of the greats Melissa McCarthy so it was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Jacinto had worked with industry greats like Ted Danson, Jeff Bridges and Chris Hemsworth before, but Nine Perfect Strangers marked the first time he\u2019d shared a scene with Oscar-winner Kidman (The Hours, Big Little Lies) and nominee McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me). \u201cIt was incredible. They come from such different spaces \u2013 so you have Nicole who, you know, [is a] big, dramatic actor, also very versatile, but other than that, you have Melissa, who comes from the comedic space, the improv space, but is also starting to show her dramatic chops right now.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve met both of them at a point where they\u2019ve done anything and everything, so the fact that they\u2019re in the same room together right now, they have to love what they\u2019re doing. The fact that I\u2019m in a project with both of these talented women, getting to do a project with them is just,\u201d he says, cutting off his sentence with a humbled laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the fact that they\u2019re so nice! The fact that they\u2019re so grounded goes to show why they\u2019ve worked so long, why they\u2019re still in this industry, why they\u2019re such professionals,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou can\u2019t help but take that away as a lesson onto other sets.\u201d<\/p>\n While the opportunity of working with such a stellar cast was a draw in and of itself, Jacinto saw Nine Perfect Strangers as an opportunity to break out into a more serious role. \u201cToeing the line of drama and comedy was the biggest appeal for me to do this because to North American audiences, I\u2019m strictly known within the comedic space.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that [producer Bruna Papandrea] and the producers, David E Kelley, Nicole and Melissa were able to trust me with a more straight, dramatic and grounded role \u2013 I couldn\u2019t be more grateful that they trusted me with that.\u201d<\/p>\n The 33-year-old prepped for the role by reading the source material, Moriarty\u2019s novel of the same name, however he admits that he wishes he hadn\u2019t. \u201cTo be honest, maybe it could have been best if I didn\u2019t because I had so much expectation towards what we thought we were going to do.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel that the book in itself is a novel, is a story, is a project that is great in itself, but what the team behind Nine Perfect Strangers has been able to do is a unique work that doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be tied to the book. So yeah, I did read the book but I think I\u2019d like to say that the show kind of one-ups it a little bit, or elevates it a little bit more \u2013 no offence to Lianne or anything.\u201d<\/p> Those who\u2019ve read Moriarty\u2019s book will know there\u2019s a major plot twist towards the end. However, in the series, this happens mid-way through, allowing for some hilarious scenes to take place between the resort\u2019s guests, particularly Michael Shannon, who plays overly-positive teacher Napoleon. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I can share,\u201d Jacinto says when I ask whether the scenes in question were just as fun to film as they were to watch. \u201cI will say that even though, like Bobby Bobby Cannavale [who plays painkiller addict and resort guest Tony], Michael Shannon, Melissa and Nicole, even though they\u2019re adults and professionals, they\u2019re just a bunch of kids.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought\u00a0I<\/em> was immature or like such a kid but no. I think you\u2019ve got to have that childhood mindset to really continue in this industry and in this job. They\u2019re just such fun and playful people.\u201d<\/p>\n While the show was filmed \u201cright in the middle\u201d of the pandemic, filming took place in Australia\u2019s Byron Bay, where COVID rates were relatively low. \u201cIt was just us in this vast space, beautiful area, so we didn\u2019t really have to worry so much about COVID. It was in the back of our minds, but it didn\u2019t affect our performances too much.\u201d<\/p>\n The scripts did face a number of changes as production went on however, with the cast and crew finding out what did and didn\u2019t work. \u201cWe were kind of working on the fly, it was such a unique aspect in that sense. You tried not to attach yourself so much to the scene or commit to a scene because you didn\u2019t know if it was gonna stay or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Raised in Canada\u2019s Vancouver, Jacinto originally started out as a professional dancer before deciding to take acting classes. \u201cI kind of snowballed from there, I basically found something where I could express myself through a different medium, not just through physicality but also through my voice and through my emotions. I just loved it and I couldn\u2019t stop doing it.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a very obsessive personality, so I just honed in on it and kept doing whatever I could do, whether it be student films or independent films or any auditions that I could do, I just went for it.\u201d<\/p>\n While he managed to secure guest roles in shows like Once Upon a Time, Supernatural and iZombie, Jacinto only really broke out onto the scene when he was cast as Jason Mendoza in The Good Place. \u201cIt was unreal because I\u2019m Canadian, so making the jump from Vancouver to LA is \u2013 you don\u2019t know if it\u2019s gonna work out or not. But you\u2019ve just got to have faith. When I was able to secure The Good Place, I was like, \u2018Oh my gosh, it happened.\u2019 I\u2019m one of the 5 per cent because not a lot can work and make it so when it happened, I was ecstatic.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to filming, he met with Good Place creator Michael Schur, who asked him what his interests were. \u201cI told him dance and he was like, \u2018Oh yeah, we can make that work,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018What do you mean make it work?’\u201d Jacinto\u2019s dancing background was then written into Jason\u2019s character, with the low-level drug dealer competing in breakdance competitions in his spare time.<\/p>\n \u201cThe funny thing is I was training to be a back-up dancer for an artist [before joining The Good Place] and then instead of putting me in the back, Mike was able to put me in the front.\u201d<\/p>\n The comedy came to an end after four seasons last year, which was \u201cbittersweet\u201d for Jacinto. \u201cThe series had to come to an end but, like anything, just like any project moving forward, you take away the lessons and you try and share those lessons with the next people and the next project that you work on.\u201d<\/p>\n As for future projects, Jacinto can\u2019t say much about Top Gun: Maverick but promises that fans won\u2019t be disappointed. \u201cI play a pilot named Fritz, one of the younger pilots. Without having Tom [Cruise] surprise attack me out of nowhere in regards to what I can say, from what I\u2019ve seen so far, it\u2019s a ride.<\/p>\n \u201cWe filmed it two years ago, it\u2019s been such a long time so catch it in the theatre if you can because that\u2019s his baby. He put so much blood, sweat and tears into that film, we all did.\u201d<\/p>\n Nine Perfect Strangers premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 20th August. Check out more of our Drama<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n Nine Perfect Strangers star Manny Jacinto speaks to Lauren Morris for The Big RT Interview on the upcoming adaptation, filming with Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, and how it felt to finish The Good Place. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3114,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/manny-jacinto-on-working-with-nicole-kidman-in-nine-perfect-strangers-why-he-wishes-he-hadnt-read-the-book-before-filming-and-his-role-in-top-gun-maverick.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Nine Perfect Strangers star Manny Jacinto speaks to Lauren Morris for The Big RT Interview on the upcoming adaptation, filming with Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, and how it felt to finish The Good Place.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/3113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Manny\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/08\/Nine-Perfect-Strangers-First-Look-12-456ef3d.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"manny-jacinto-nine-perfect-strangers-big-rt-interview\"\\"")
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