The "Nine Perfect Strangers" star opens up about his dating philosophies, ice cream of choice, and more.
Manny Jacinto Has Seen Your Tweets About His Cheekbones
You probably know Manny Jacinto best from the NBC comedy series The Good Place, which is why his role in Hulu's new show Nine Perfect Strangers may surprise you. While there is comedy in this new miniseries—based on the popular Liane Moriarty novel about nine strangers who embark on a 10-day wellness retreat—Jacinto isn't the one delivering it. He plays Yao, an employee at Tranquillum House, the resort run by the mysterious, ethereal Marsha (Nicole Kidman). He's devoted to Marsha and her practices, even when his girlfriend, Delilah (Tiffany Boone), also an employee, starts questioning them. But what is the truth? Is Tranquillum House a groundbreaking wellness mecca? Or is something more sinister at play? That's what you'll spend eight episodes trying to find out.
“There's a lot of energy [around this show] and its similarities to Big Little Lies and The Undoing,” Jacinto tells me. “If people are fans of those two shows, I think they'll have the same admiration for this one. It's a good, really enthralling story in regards to how all these strangers are coming together, the conflicts they're having, and how they're all connected.”
In honor of Nine Perfect Strangers premiering, we asked Jacinto to participate in Glamour's Inappropriate Questions series, where we ask your favorite celebrities all the things best saved for a second (or third) date. Read on for Jacinto's thoughts on relationship rules, astrology, and what he finds sexy about himself. Spoiler alert: He literally started sweating when I asked him that last one.
What classic relationship or dating rule do you think actually holds up?
Manny Jacinto: That you can't be friends with your exes. A lot of people think it's bullshit and that you can be friends. But for me, in my experience, you just can't. If I take into account my partner's feelings—we all, at the end of the day, would like to think we don't get jealous or don't have any insecurities. But I feel if you really care about your partner and their feelings and take into account their insecurities, it'd be so much easier for them if they don't have to worry about whether or not you still have feelings for an ex if you're still friends with them.
Fill in this blank for me. I love when my partner…
I actually love when my partner busts into the most ridiculous, silly song-and-dance number. I'm a sucker for somebody who's silly and weird.
What do you think is the sexiest thing about yourself?
I don't know if I agree, but I feel like the consensus on Twitter has been my cheekbones. But I don't know. I really don't know what's sexy about me, to be honest. I'm going to say this just because I get comments from both men and women for this. It's such a weird comment, but—I can't believe I'm saying this—the veins on my arms. I remember Dax Shepard was on set one day, and he came up to me and was like, "Dude, I dig the vascularity in your arms," or something.
I'm sweating right now. Can we put a disclaimer in the article that I'm drenched in sweat?
What is the weirdest thing you do in your alone time?
I feel like I have uneven eyebrows. So sometimes I will just sit there and I'll raise my right eyebrow to try and even it out, almost like an exercise. Does that make any sense?
Screw, marry, kill: weed, pizza, or a cocktail?
I would kill the weed. I don't really get high. I would screw the cocktail. I'm not a big drinker, but I'll do one every once in a while, I guess. And marry the pizza, for sure. I can have pizza all day, every day.
You're going to a convenience store to pick up something for a party. What are you getting?
I would get all the things. I would get the alcohol. I'd get the chips. I'd get all the junk food. Condoms, if you need them, or whatever. Whatever you need! All the junk! I'd get all this stuff, and I would go to the party and say hi, drop off the stuff, and I would exit through the back door. Then I'd go back to the convenience store, get a tub of ice cream, and just hang out at home either by myself or with the lady. I'd show face and say thank you, but parties right now especially can be a bit anxiety-ridden. I'm a bit of a homebody.
What flavor of ice cream are you buying?
I'm a big sucker for a Ben Jerry's strawberry cheesecake.
Do you remember having a crush on a celebrity growing up?
It was Kelly Kapowski on Saved By the Bell. I just remember having these weird feelings when I was a child and being like, "Why am I so attracted to Tiffany Amber Thiessen?" Maybe it was the cool girl-next-door vibe. But yeah, it was Kelly Kapowski.
Do you have a type?
I'm a sucker for a girl who's really thoughtful and goes out of her way to do something. With languages of love, one of them is acts of kindness or favor—when somebody goes out of their way to do something. If I'm talking about a chocolate bar, and they go get that chocolate bar the next day or something. It goes to show they listened. I love to do that for people.
Are you an astrology person?
When it comes to my traits of being a Leo, I always always joke with my partner, being like, "Don't put me in a box. I'm not just a Leo. I'm not just that. I don't have a fiery personality just because I'm a Leo." But whenever Mercury's in retrograde and then something bad happens during the retrograde of Mercury, I will blame it on Mercury being in retrograde.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Christopher Rosa is the entertainment editor at Glamour. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Condé Nast
