Exclusive: The Acolyte’s Manny Jacinto reveals surprising influence on new Star Wars character
Manny Jacinto has spoken about some of the surprising inspirations and influences on his character in the new Star Wars series The Acolyte.
The Good Place actor plays Qimir in the Disney+ series, which aired a double-part premiere on June 5, and has cited classic Hollywood performances as key to differentiating the character from other Star Wars figures.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy about whether Qimir fits the Han Solo-inspired, scoundrel archetype, Jacinto said: "I pulled from many great scoundrels. I think one in particular was Mr. Jack Sparrow and that performance in Pirates of the Carribbean.
Related: Star Wars boss wanted to channel the "shittiness" in new show The Acolyte
"And just like physical movement with a lot of what kind of Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin do, you know with kind of how they use their body and a lot of that kind of bounciness per se helped inform Qimir a lot."
When asked whether the physical aspect of his character stands out in the world of Star Wars, the actor added: "Yeah very much so. It's such a huge juxtaposition with like the Jedi who were so stoic and still, and then you have Qimir just running in circles around and trying to make sense of everything."
The character of Qimir is introduced in The Acolyte's opening episodes as an ally of mysterious assassin Mae, providing her with the means to carry out some deadly plans.
The Acolyte, which is being helmed by Russian Doll writer Leslye Headland, takes place in Star Wars' High Republic era. It's the first live-action entry in this period of the franchise's history, which takes place centuries before the prequel trilogy and the Skywalker Saga.
Jacinto is joined by Amandla Stenberg, Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae, Carrie Anne-Moss, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Rebecca Henderson and more.
The Acolyte is streaming exclusively on Disney+. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the entire Skywalker Saga are available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, as well as on Disney+.
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