Manny Jacinto 'Freakier Friday' Interview

Cosmopolitan

a day ago

Burt Reynolds's 1972 centerfold in Cosmopolitan was, simply put, a major moment in pop culture. It was our magazine's—any magazine's—first time featuring a man in that kind of spread, and it cemented Burt's status as one of America's sexiest men. In homage, we're continuing the Cosmo Centerfold series, in which we showcase the hottest celebs of our time. You'll have to pick up an actual Cosmo to see it in the flesh. Enjoy!
There are lots—nay, tons—of reasons to swoon over Manny Jacinto: his acting roles, which range from lovable doofus Jason Mendoza on The Good Place to a Sith Lord on The Acolyte to his latest, Lindsay Lohan's British chef love interest in Freakier Friday, in theaters now. Then there are his dance moves, which would put every other person on any wedding dance floor to shame. Next, there are his cheekbones, which don't require an explanation if you're looking at these pictures (although I'll still note that they made the crew at his Cosmopolitan photo shoot gasp).
But maybe his most swoonworthy quality is how hard he rides for his wife, fellow actor Dianne Doan, which became very apparent during our chat earlier this spring. If you want to have one of those 'I hope this love finds me' moments, keep reading.
I gotta give all thanks to my wife, Dianne, because she got my skin routine locked down. There's cleanser, but then you have the SOS Spray, which is a toner I love from Tower 28. And then, if I'm feeling spicy, some gua sha action with some oil, Kypris. And then Kypris serum. And then we got some moisturizer for the eyes and moisturizer for the face. The last thing has to be sunscreen.
But honestly, what pisses me off is how some guys, they just have perfect skin and they just do a bar soap.
A great outfit. An outfit that feels comfortable but also, like, is this a statement? It's hard to balance both. You wear something that looks incredible, but a lot of the times, you can't even sit down because it's so tight or the proportions are off, but you can mix both. I feel like a superhero.
Jungkook. I was a dancer, and I have this theory. Jungkook apparently trained in Los Angeles when he was younger, and I think we almost crossed paths and trained in the same studio around the same time. I mean, he is, like, eight years younger than me, but I saw videos and pictures of him training at the same studio. And I was like, wait, when was this? And this was around the same time, like, summer of 2012, 2011. I think he's one of the best dancers on the team. But I also just dig his music.
It's really all about the face, to be honest. When you're on the dance floor, it doesn't really matter how well you move your body. I mean, sometimes it does, sure. But if people see you having a good time and they see it in your face, they connect with that and they find so much joy in that. When somebody's a good dancer, but they're completely blank up top, there's a disconnect. You gotta feel it. It's all in the face.
But also, loosen up those hips. I think a lot of the guys tend to use the arms a lot or think it's leg movement. But hips don't lie.
A Walk to Remember. I think I first saw it in eighth grade. I remember seeing it with one of my closest friends during the time, and a girl that he was trying to see and date along with that girl's friend. So it was like a double date. The double date did not go that well. But I remember watching that film and just, like, bawling my eyes out.
I think they end in a devastation. The ones that resonate for me end in a devastation. It's not super devastating, but in The Notebook when they die in the hospital bed together. They get to spend their life together, but they pass away together. And Titanic, not enough room on the board. I think the best ones end in tragedy a little bit.
I'm such a cheeseball but a great, two-hour walk in the park at night. I love being outside. There's an inhibition to walking side by side and taking in nature and space and then just being able to be vulnerable and talk about anything and everything.
I think for her it'd be a really incredible, well-cooked meal at home. I wish I could cook, but she comes from a family that does a lot of cooking, and a lot of the connection has been made at the dinner table.
For Dianne, it would be something Vietnamese because she's Vietnamese. Whether it be pho or Bún Bò or something that's comfort food for her. Or I would try and do something Filipino and bring that in to feel like it's home. Have you ever tried Filipino spaghetti? Filipinos, they like to have sugar on everything. So instead of tomato paste, they use this thing called banana ketchup. I think it might be banned in the States now. It's essentially just ketchup, but it has almost a banana flavoring, and it's very sweet. So you put that in the spaghetti, and to some, it turns them off completely. But some people really love it. It's a love-hate. But I grew up with it, so I love it.
Yes, I think it can be. It's just learning one's patterns in relationships. I remember reading early on about the honeymoon phase and how that kind of dies off and how you can keep it going if you want something more meaningful. I think you can learn about different aspects of love, but it's another thing to actually adopt those practices.
I was reading All About Love by bell hooks, and there's a definition about what love is, and I'm butchering this but it's essentially being willing to make yourself uncomfortable to make the other person comfortable, to be willing to go through anxiety or to go through a tough time in order to make the other person feel better.
Letting her know where I am. It was things like, 'Hey, I'm on the plane heading out' or 'Hey, I've landed' or 'Hey, I got home okay—I'm at the hotel.' Things like that. She's a part of you. You should let that part know where you are.
You're not there yet, but a good piece of advice that was given to me was to go to couples therapy before you need it. It goes for therapy in general. You don't want to be going to couples therapy when you're in a really bad spot because sometimes it might be too late. It helps with communication and figuring each other out, having that extra person.
That it's work. You have this idea, especially in all these movies that we watch, that it's gonna be a happy ending forever, but there's a reason why it ends on the happy ending, because there's other chapters that unfold. It takes work, time, and communication, but it's worth it. If it was easy, everybody would stay married. But it's not easy.
A wife guy? Yeah. I mean, just from my interpretation of what that means.
Like, just having a long-term partner. Is that it?
Yeah. You're 100 percent.
Giving them their flowers, literally and metaphorically. As simple as getting them flowers, it's just a small action that can go a long way. In the beginning when we first got together, I was like, Man, this is such a waste of money. Like, why am I buying these things that won't even last? That's actually the beautiful part about it. They aren't gonna last, so you can keep getting them for her. But metaphorically, giving them their flowers, complimenting her, and making her feel good about herself and reminding her that she's the best, that life is so much better with her.
She would really love this guy from Freakier Friday. He's a chef. My wife loves food. Everybody loves a good cook. And he can dance, but he gives off a Hugh Grant vibe. Charming. A little self-deprecating but charming.
The biggest thing that helped me was asking myself, Am I responding to how I'm feeling or am I actually responding to what they're saying? So it can be as simple as, Am I hungry and is this why I'm acting like this? Or did I not get enough sleep? Am I actually responding to what they're saying properly and giving it the full attention? Because I noticed that if I don't get a good amount of sleep or if I'm hungry, if I'm having a bad day, that gets passed on to our relationship.
But love is work. You gotta work at it. But it's the most beautiful thing and you get the most special moments. And life is just so much more happy when you can share it with somebody.
Top look: Lu'u Dan vest, John Varvatos top, Willy Chavarria pants, Hereu boots, Prounis necklace and rings, Title of Work (top) and Peyote Bird bracelets, watch from For Future Reference, Artemas Quibble belt, Presley Oldham keychain.
Styled by Brandon Tan. Grooming by Kimberly Bragalone using Balmain Hair and Kypris Beauty.