Manny Jacinto on the Challenges of Keeping Star Wars Secrets for The Acolyte

The conclusion of Star Wars: The Acolyte earlier this week brought a whirlwind of surprises, from unexpected cameos to startling character deaths. The latest Disney+ series kept viewers engaged with its twists and turns. As part of the press tour, cast members had to tread carefully to avoid spilling any spoilers—though there were occasional slip-ups. Warning: Spoilers for The Acolyte ahead…

One of the show’s significant revelations came in the fifth episode when it was unveiled that Qimir, portrayed by Manny Jacinto, was the masked Stranger. In a dramatic turn of events, Qimir fought and killed the Jedi characters Yord (Charlie Barnett) and Jecki (Dafne Keen). In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jacinto recounted how his co-stars accidentally revealed details about his stunt skills.

"I’m not a big press and publicity type of guy," Jacinto confessed. "I have a hard time talking about myself and my work. So whenever I go into something like that, I just have to take on another character. And, having to straight up lie to people’s faces, I was like, ‘Okay, what is my backstory? What am I doing here?’ So it was literally another character that I had to play out of this three-tiered character that I had already just played on The Acolyte. So it was a continuation of the work."

Jacinto shared an anecdote where Dafne Keen and Charlie Barnett unintentionally mentioned his stunt work during a Star Wars Celebration segment. "There’s a clip from Star Wars Celebration where Dafne and Charlie slip up, and they start talking about my stunt work," he added. "These are her words, not mine, but Dafne said, ‘Manny is a stunt god.’ And then, right away, I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know, guys. I really didn’t get to do anything cool.’ So I had to backtrack things, but you never know what will happen with those two because they’re a hoot. We have an amicable and very friendly and loving relationship even after the execution of their characters."

Aside from his character’s secret identity, Jacinto also took care not to spoil major cameos, including that of Yoda. "Yes, they did. It was also something that I was not too privy to, but there were maybe rumblings about it," Jacinto said regarding Yoda’s appearance. "I heard on the sidelines that it could be the case, but seeing that image on screen was mind-blowing to me just like it was to everybody else. So there’s a lot to explore, and fingers crossed we get to explore that."

Jacinto further commented on the inclusion of various Easter eggs and fan theories. "Oh, God, all of these Easter eggs, theories, and tidbits … I don’t know. I actually don’t know why the Kylo Ren theme was playing," Jacinto noted. "There are so many theories about the original Knights of Ren, but I don’t know, man. I’ll bring these possible theories up and ideas to Leslye [Headland], but she already knows about them. So I’ve got to just keep dancing around these questions."

In an interesting development, the season finale saw Osha (Amandla Stenberg) setting off to train with Qimir (Manny Jacinto). Despite his contentious actions throughout the season, many fans are rooting for a romantic connection between the two characters. This "Oshamir" ship gained traction after the finale, especially with Qimir taking Osha’s hand in a seemingly romantic gesture. While a second season has yet to be confirmed, Jacinto hinted at the potential for a growing romance between Qimir and Osha.

"In the fan art I’ve seen, there’s a good amount that implies… something between Osha and the Stranger," Jacinto told GQ. "That’s something that people, I think, have been yearning for in this genre, or at least in this IP, and I love that people are honing in on it and encouraging it. So I think people can look forward to more of that, possibly. If people want it, we can explore that in a subsequent season."

For now, The Acolyte is available for streaming on Disney+.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, GQ