One of my undisputed favourite shows of the 2010s is The Good Place, created by Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, who are best known for their integral work on the US version of The Office. Heck, there is even an argument to be made that The Good Place is one the finest comedy shows of the 21st century. A major reason for this is its surprisingly concise storytelling, which was executed with a clear vision in four seasons instead of hanging around long enough to jump the shark like so many shows do when they overstay their welcome, such as Modern Family, or even The Office for that matter. It also helped that The Good Place cast boasted heaps of talent.
The central role of Eleanor is played by Kristen Bell, whose character mistakenly ends up in “the good place” – the show’s name for heaven – even though she was a terrible person when alive and should have been sent to “the bad place”, which, you can probably guess if you don’t already know, is the show’s version of hell. Her primary supporting co-star is none other than legendary actor Ted Danson, who plays Michael, the architect of the afterlife in which the rest of the cast find themselves, which includes William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, and Canadian-Filipino actor Manny Jacinto.
While Bell and Danson are so firmly entrenched in their storied careers that they will never be short of work, the lesser-known cast members found continuing success following The Good Place’s conclusion in 2020. Harper has since appeared in multiple productions such as Love Life (2021), The Resort (2022), and Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania to name but a few, and speaking of Marvel Jamil recently had the primary supporting role in the Marvel show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law as the anti-hero Titania, while Carden had a notable recurring part in the acclaimed HBO show Barry and continues to land roles as a performer and voice actress. However, the same could not be said for Jacinto, who seemingly failed to truly capitalize on his hilarious performance as the loveable idiot Jason in The Good Place…that is, until 2024, where things could finally be falling into place for the British Columbian actor.
This, of course, is not to say that Jacinto lacked work before or after The Good Place, but they were largely minor roles. Prior to his big break in 2016, Jacinto primarily guest starred in TV episodes and short films and eventually started landing more significant roles as The Good Place continued airing and earned an abundance of praise from audiences and critics alike. Most notable among them were main roles in the TV shows Brand New Cherry Flavor and Nine Perfect Strangers, each of which aired in 2021. He also began appearing in movies more frequently, having significant roles I Want You Back and Cora Bora in 2022 alone, both of which were positively received but had little traction with audiences. He did appear in big budget tentpoles Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) and the megahit Top Gun: Maverick (2022), though once again they were minor roles.
In fact, his role in Top Gun: Maverick has come to the attention of fans recently who lamented his diminished presence in the film, with the final cut reducing him to a non-speaking role. Jacinto, flattered by the support, even added fuel to the fire by stating that “Tom Cruise is writing stories for Tom Cruise”, though this should not be taken as a dig at Cruise himself, as he did note that “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.” Although, you might be wondering why audiences are suddenly voicing their disappointment in Jacinto’s role in Top Gun: Maverick two years later, and the reason is that he just appeared in his most significant role since The Good Place, playing the much-discussed Qimir in the latest Star Wars TV show The Acolyte.
While The Acolyte received generally positive reviews from critics, the response from fans of the Star Wars franchise has been noticeably vitriolic (which is really saying something if you know anything about Star Wars fans), with a measly 17% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, fairing no better on IMDb where it sports an equally awful 3.8/10. However, Jacinto and his Sith character seem to be one of the few bright spots for fans in the show, and the actor is already excitedly looking ahead to what the show’s second season might bring.
The renewed limelight surrounding Jacinto is encouraging, with this writer speculating that bigger roles will be coming his way, and soon. As it happens, he’s already been cast in the long-awaited Freaky Friday sequel, which will see Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan returning more than 20 years after the first instalment, albeit in yet another supporting role. Still, this is a step in the right direction, and who knows, we might see the talented actor adorning billboards in the near future.