Two things happened this week. High-profile miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers was released on streaming and Manny Jacinto turned 34.
Jacinto was in Australia this time last year, celebrating his 33rd birthday in Byron Bay during the production of the series about emotionally damaged guests at a wellness resort, so the timing of the release with his birthday feels like the perfect bookends to this adventure.
Best known as the loveable dummy Jason Mendoza on The Good Place (and also seen in miniseries Brand New Cherry Flavour and soon in the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick), Nine Perfect Strangers is a dramatic turn for the star.
His character Yao, a reserved wellness resort host, couldn’t have a more different energy to the goofy, kind-hearted, breakdancing Floridian.
Over zoom, Jacinto’s energy was something else altogether. He oozed intellect and thoughtfulness, as well as a jovial, humbled warmth present in so many Canadian celebrities – and those famous cheekbones are just as penetrating without professional photographers to light the scene.
He chatted with news.com.au about his experiences working on Nine Perfect Strangers, of sharing scenes with the likes of Melissa McCarthy and Michael Shannon, trying – and failing – Byron Bay’s favourite pastime and getting intimate onscreen with Nicole Kidman.
What was it like shooting Nine Perfect Strangers in Byron Bay?
Byron is a unique town. So many people walking around bare foot on the streets.
Most of them are Hemsworths.
Yeah, exactly! Just people walking around barefoot everywhere, in grocery stores, and it’s like, ‘this is cool’. I tried it out and only lasted maybe a few hours before I started getting callouses. I was like, ‘this isn’t for me, guys’.
Byron is very peculiar and beautiful. It has its own little nooks, like the secret beaches, and the people are super cool and chill and they’re all very much about health and mindfulness.
Which is where the show jumps in, set at a wellness resort in paradise.
Definitely. It was the perfect place because I was able to own my character Yao and practice what he preached.
Did you introduce yourself to some new wellness therapies while you were there?
It was tempting, and I wouldn’t say Byron had any lack thereof. If I were to seek for it, I’m sure I would’ve been able to find it. But I’m a very reserved person and those experiences may be for down the road. But Manny, right now, left it to the people of Byron.
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It’s quite a thing to have to uplift your life and move across the world for a few months in the middle of everything that was going on. What was the “it” factor for you when you were pitched the project?
The most obvious is Nicole and Melissa being part of the project. The team was the biggest draw. I was a big fan of Big Little Lies and [Liane Moriarty’s] other novels, and [TV writer] David E. Kelley’s work. So, I was like, ‘wow’.
What I’m known for in North America is in the comedic space, so the fact they were trusting me at all with a character that was more deeply grounded and more ‘dramatic’, that was incredibly appealing to me. If anything, I was super grateful to take it.
You’ve just come off four years of The Good Place, a hugely successful show, where you’ve played this very distinct character. Do you consciously think you’ll stay away from comedy for a while?
Jason Mendoza is always going to have a special place in heart, he’s always going to be there. And maybe we’ll revisit him down the road, but right now, I like exercising different muscles.
Regardless of whether it’s comedy or action or drama or rom-com, as long as the story is great and it’s with good people, I’m all for it.
Do you get recognised for playing Jason?
Yes, but it depends, because sometimes there were some small titles that people have recognised me from, like The Good Doctor.
I’ve been very lucky to be a part of shows that have audiences and fans that are so loving and so passionate about them, so hopefully we can keep it going.
And [The Good Place creator] Mike Schur creates shows that people just love passionately.
Absolutely, I would do anything for that man.
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You said that working with Nicole and Melissa was part of the attraction of Nine Perfect Strangers, and then you have people like Michael Shannon and Bobby Cannavale. That whole cast is like a masterclass in acting.
It’s a masterclass for sure. But when you were just saying those names, I can’t help but also be like, ‘they’re just a bunch of kids’. They’re even bigger kids than [the younger cast members] on set in terms of their energy.
I don’t know if this is the right word for it, but their zest for life, in a sense. You need to have that childlike mentality if you’re going to do this for the long run, playing pretend for your career. And they’re just a bunch of silly kids.
If anything, I think the younger group were more serious and more like, ‘oh, we need to be professional because we don’t know if we’re going to get fired’. This is a dream job for all of us. With them, they were so much more relaxed, and they were able to give that energy to us, which made for an incredible familial dynamic.
Did you guys feel like you guys could have a bit more of that sense of play as the production went on?
It’s like with anything, the more you hang out with a group of people, you are more comfortable with them. Nicole, Melissa and all those guys allowed for that. There wasn’t any sense of judgment, there wasn’t any sense of ‘I’m at a higher tier than you’.
We were all able to get along really well. They enabled us to do our best work, which is not always the case.
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What did you learn from them that you want to put towards your next project?
What Michael Shannon was able to do with the character of Napoleon completely blew my mind. I relished every time I got to hear him do a monologue or do a scene with him.
He is, for me, the car. He is the bar I would hopefully try to reach or emulate. His professionalism, he’s always prepared.
He brought me back to the days of doing student films where it was all just about the work, investing all your energy into this one thing – it didn’t matter if you were getting paid or if it was going to be popular, that’s what the focus was.
It’s that kind of energy and professionalism that Michael Shannon brought which took me back. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I remember being like that’.
You also had some intimate scenes with Nicole and with Tiffany Boone. How do you prep for that? Is it awkward?
A lot of push-ups, sit-ups, and maybe a little bit of suntan oil. Maybe a marker here and there, probably bribe the editors in post-production to shadow some spots!
It’s the most unsexy thing or it’s the weirdest thing one can do on set.
Luckily, I had such great partners that we were able to be super comfortable in those types of situations.
Were there intimacy coordinators on set?
We did. And she helped immensely with providing a safe environment for both Nicole and I and also Tiff and I, especially.
I want to finish up by asking you – because smoothies play a huge part in the show – what is your favourite smoothie mix?
To keep it simple, I am all about the chocolate, peanut butter and banana. Anything with that and I’m all for it.
Edited for clarity and length.
Nine Perfect Strangers is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video
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2021-08-20 23:27:06Z
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