Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise, says Top Gun: Maverick’s Manny Jacinto

Manny Jacinto has recently criticised Tom Cruise for his dialogues being cut from Top Gun: Maverick.

Speaking to GQ magazine, the Filipino-Canadian actor discussed about his small role in the Tom Cruise-led 2022 blockbuster.

Manny said, “It’s flattering that there was a little bit of an outcry, but it wasn’t shocking to me.”

Interestingly, Manny played the role of LT Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone, who only appeared in the background of a few scenes in the hit sequel.

"There was this sense of where the film was going [on set], like I can see them focusing the camera more on these [other] guys and not taking so much time on our scenes,” he explained.

The actor stated, “Fortunately, it still was a great experience — 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.”

Manny told the outlet, “It kind of fuels you, because at the end of the day, Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise.”

“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,” added the actor.

Tom reportedly served as a producer in the movie, which was written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.

Elsewhere in the interview, Manny talked about the future of his current role in the Star Wars series.

“I mean, at this point, who knows? Maybe they cut me out of the whole series. You just never know,” he remarked.

Earlier in a 2021 interview with W Magazine, Manny spoke up about his experience working with Tom.

"It’s [Tom’s] baby. And having seen clips of footage, he doesn’t disappoint,” he added,