HOW TO HAVE THE BEST SUNDAY IN L.A., ACCORDING TO MANNY JACINTO

BOBA AT THE PARK AND PORK BELLY LECHON AT LASITA ARE ON THE AGENDA FOR THE 'FREAKIER FRIDAY' STAR

- BY KAILYN BROWN

AMONG THE HERD OF aspiring actors who move to Los Angeles to pursue their Hollywood dreams, Manny Jacinto was sure to set modest expectations for himself.

"In my head, I was going to come here a few times," says Jacinto, who grew up in Richmond, Canada. "I was going to try pilot [season] once, fail, come back next year, fail again, and I was going to repeat that pattern probably for the next five years until hopefully, fingers crossed, I landed something."

But just a few months after relocating to L.A. in 2016, he nabbed a starring role in NBC's "The Good Place," alongside Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, and "it just changed my life," says Jacinto, who played the lovable but not-so-bright Jason Mendoza.

Since that breakout performance, he has racked up several more acting credits, including "Nine Perfect Strangers," "Top Gun: Maverick" and "The Acolyte." His latest film, "Freakier Friday"— the sequel to the hit 2003 film — was released in August.

"Little Manny, who was waking up on a Sunday [and] watching cartoons, would have never thought he'd be acting opposite Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan," says Jacinto, who plays Eric Reyes, Lohan's British fiancé, in the film.

We caught up with Jacinto to talk about his perfect day in L.A., which he would spend with his wife and best friend, Dianne Doan. On the agenda are an intense morning workout, dinner with loved ones at a Filipino restaurant that reminds him of home, and a delicious boba at the park.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

9 A.M.

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