EARLY IN HIS journey into The Acolyte, Disney+’s latest Star Wars series, Manny Jacinto was presented with a “problem” to solve. Approached by casting director Carmen Cuba and series creator Leslye Headland, Jacinto was asked how he might play a lowly villain who masks his true nature as a powerful threat.

He had many ideas.”I tend to get pretty neurotic about these things,” Jacinto jokes over Zoom. He recalls writing a lengthy email mapping his approach to make the facade “non-threatening.” Jacinto suggested the role to have physical disabilities, in the spirit of X-Men‘s Charles Xavier. Or a disarming factor, à la Jackie Chan in the kung fu film classic Drunken Master.

“Or some neurosis that comes off strong,” Jacinto adds. “A flaw within this character that makes it seem like he’s not a threat. Maybe he has addiction problems, maybe he’s drunk. Just some type of weakness or vulnerability that makes people go, ‘He can’t be the bad guy.'”

The 36-year-old star of Filipino and Canadian heritage knows a thing or two about pulling a fast one over on everyone. In 2016, Jacinto had his first taste at stardom in his breakout role on NBC’s The Good Place, the acclaimed supernatural sitcom set in a deceptively idyllic afterlife. While he initially appears as a mute Buddhist monk who stands next to Kristen Bell and Ted Danson in flowing robes with knowing eyes, it’s not long before he’s exposed as Jason Mendoza, a dimwit himbo and middling DJ from Jacksonville, Florida. (Go Jags!)

Jacinto was a series regular on NBC’s The Good Place.

The producers at Lucasfilm loved what Jacinto had in mind and cast him in what he now calls the role of a lifetime. The new Star Wars series takes place hundreds of years before the original film trilogy, telling of two estranged sisters tied to a series of Jedi assassinations in the days of the High Republic. In the acclaimed fifth episode, Jacinto’s lowly smuggler Qimir is unmasked as a fearsome Sith Lord, who still only goes by the name “The Stranger.” Standing tall in a striking mask with exposed teeth, wielding a unique red lightsaber, and flexing biceps cut from stone, The Stranger is now in league with iconic villains like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren.

While Jacinto completed his challenge, it was only the start of a grueling journey to the Dark Side. Before his transformation could be complete, Jacinto put in the sweat to become a villain who now grips all of Star Wars fandom in a chokehold. On the day after the premiere of The Acolyte‘s final episode, Jacinto sat down with Men’s Health to spill how he bulked up, stayed limber, and how his Filipino heritage shines even in the darkness of the Sith.

MEN’S HEALTH: How early into your time on The Acolyte did you know you were the main villain?

MANNY JACINTO: Carmen Cuba wanted to meet with me, and was picking my brain in terms of the roles I wanted; I happened to mention I wanted to play an antagonist. At the exact time, Leslye was looking at me to play that type of role. Leslye and I had a meeting, and the way it was presented to me was: How do you tackle a low-status character who transforms into this mastermind pulling the strings?

She posed it as a problem, and it was an intriguing problem to solve. I knew it was about Star Wars, but she couldn’t give more details beyond that.

MH: You had to stay tight-lipped about Qimir at the start of The Acolyte press tour. Were there parallels between Qimir hiding his identity and you hiding it in real life?

MJ: Absolutely. I had to constantly lie to people’s faces, and I’m truly not a good liar. I am the worst liar. It was a lot of anxiety, a lot of pressure. I played Qimir for eight months, and then I had to take him on again during the press run. Having to hold that secret for such a long time really weighs on me. But it’s finally out.

Jacinto’s Qimir/The Stranger has a unique relationship with twins Osha and Mae (both played by Amandla Stenberg) in The Acolyte.

MH: How did you begin your physical training for the role?

MJ: I had a good amount of time to prep. I had four to five months for that fight sequence in episode 5. Initially my workout was getting to know the lightsaber. We started with the basics, learning the fluidity and making sure it felt like I had handled a saber for years. I was staying in London, and made sure to have a weighted sword at home. After shooting or just before bed, I would go to the backyard and play around with it. Getting used to my shoulders and my back, using the proper muscles so it’s efficient and dynamic, and the stamina involved.

I was given everything to succeed. I was given proper meals through a chef, so my nutrition was a high priority. I was given a physical therapist, so they would help with recovery. Whenever I had an ache, or my back was feeling off, I had someone to get me back to 100 percent. As we shot, it was never got to 100. [During shooting] I’d go back to maybe 90, back to 80, and just try not to injure anything.

MH: What did your schedule look like?

MJ: My routine was initially that I would work out in the mornings with the stunt guys doing choreography for cardio, and in the afternoon, strength train.

But eventually, my body was done. I couldn’t do that anymore. So, I split it. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I would train with the stunt guys. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays [again] I would strength train to maintain the muscle mass. Sundays would be my rest day, and I would go to the sauna or do yoga.

MH: What muscles did you work on the most for The Stranger?

MJ: A big part of it was having a strong posterior chain, my lower back especially. There’s this thing called the Roman chair, where you’re on a slant facing down. That chair saved my life. It saved my lower back. One of the stunt guys recommended using that daily and it helped not injuring myself and making sure I was ready to go. A strong posterior chain, rear delts, strong lats… everything in the back had to be strong for me to have power moving forward. My chest workouts were like, minimal to none; it didn’t really benefit me to have a big chest.

Jacinto as The Stranger in The Acolyte.

MH: Your role as The Stranger requires muscle. How did you approach building or keeping muscle mass?

MJ: I have a high metabolism. I come from a dance background, so I’m used to cardio. With the stunt work, it was a lot of cardio, so I was losing weight even if I didn’t want to. I was constantly eating; I need to shout out Nando’s, because Nando’s chicken kept me in my caloric needs. I had trouble keeping weight because of the amount of work I was doing with the stunt guys.

With the costumes and the helmet, I was constantly sweating. I was honestly trying to maintain [muscle] but also bulk at the same time. I was able to bulk a little, but I can’t gain too much because I need the mobility to move fluidly with speed and power.

MH: What was on your gym playlist? What music made you “feel” like The Stranger?

MJ: That’s funny you ask—I didn’t have anything. I took my time at the gym to meditate, to take me out of having to think about the character. When I was home, I would be thinking about it all the time. When I was on the stunt set, it was always, ‘Stranger this, Qimir that.’ So I took moments in the gym to get away. I was listening to a lot of Foo Fighters. That helped get me out of that mindset.

MH: How did your background in dance help you prepare for lightsaber choreography?

MJ: It was easy for me to pick up the choreography, but my body isn’t used to having an extra appendage. So, even though I know choreography and can pick it up, executing it in a way that looks like I’ve been doing it for years is another step.

The biggest help was that, with dance, you rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, so on the day you’re not even thinking about it. You can adjust without thinking. That’s what I took in with the stunt choreography. I would go home and practice the sequences by myself, and make sure I could do it in my sleep so that when we do it on set, I didn’t have to think about it. It would be automatic. I couldn’t even see [with the helmet], but I can rely on my body and the muscle memory to help me get through the choreography.

Jacinto’s character has a unique fighting style in The Acolyte.

MH: I understand your lightsaber style is inspired by Filipino Martial Arts. Can you elaborate how you implemented FMA into The Stranger, and what that style means for him?

MJ: It came about through storytelling. Leslye, our stunt choreographers, and I wanted to make him sneaky and fight dirty. Having a saber hidden within his hilt gave him that aspect of not playing fair. It just so happened to parallel Filipino arnis, with Filipino kali, having the dual sticks. Once I learned we were going to do that, one of our stunt guys Daren Nop, would train in Filipino kali techniques. It was purely through a magical way of things coming together. When I told Leslye, it blew her mind. It was never because I’m Filipino, it was just a cool fighting style we never really get to showcase.

MH: Speaking of storytelling: the finale of The Acolyte ends with you and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) holding hands with a lightsaber. What’s your take on this parting shot?

MJ: I’m the first person to tell you, and I’m not trying to give myself too much credit, but I remember suggesting that note. At first it was just me and Amandla standing there together. I was like, ‘Could we try me reaching out for us and holding the lightsaber together?’ And Leslye loved it—she’s the best collaborator. If it’s a bad idea, she’ll let you know, but still thanks you for it. If it’s a great idea, she’s more than happy to take it.

Luckily, she accepted it. It was mainly to signal the idea about the power of two, about wanting to have an acolyte. That’s basically the greatest symbolism of them taking on this world. It’s not longer just Qimir; he’s no longer the lone wolf. He has somebody to share feelings with.

MH: There’s another moment earlier where Osha uses the Force to choke out Sol (Lee Jung-jae). What informed your reaction as Qimir/The Stranger?

MJ: I think The Stranger is relapsing to the exact moment he had to do the same thing. In my head, what I was focused on was the trauma I had to experience as a former Jedi, to go through that same moment. Hence why he goes to Osha and consoles her, because he knows the exact feeling of what she went through.

Jacinto’s The Stranger has multiple fights with Sol (Lee Jung-jae) throughout The Acolyte.

MH: Your scene from episode 5, where you choke Mae, has gone viral as people go ga-ga over how you look and how much sex appeal The Stranger has. How do you feel about being a sex symbol in today’s era? What burdens do you feel from that reputation?

MJ: I need to give most of the credit to Johnson & Johnson—baby oil goes a long way. But yeah, it’s weird. It’s a weird idea to navigate. Obviously, the writers and Leslye knew what they were doing when they made the costume that way, and with the dirt and wet hair and all that. We’re definitely leaning into something, and luckily people have resonated with it.

I try not to dwell on it too much, because I hope not to make a career solely on dirt and baby oil and swole arms. Hopefully, one day, I can not work out and be respected as an actor. I fear being put into a certain image, so I’m always weary. But it’s flattering. It’s very complimentary.

MH: Western pop culture hasn’t afforded a lot of opportunities for Asian men to exude sex appeal, at least that’s how it was for you and I growing up. How do you feel about being seen as synonymous with desirable Asian male masculinity?

MJ: I’m very fortunate to be acting during this time period, when stories are global. With stories coming from Korea or Japan–I mean, Leslye watched Squid Game and saw Lee Jung-jae’s work and was like, ‘That guy is Sol.’ So you see Asian males being more desirable. I can’t take full credit. This combination of influences has helped build up this idea that Asian males can be more desirable, they can be romantic leads, they can be something more than previous archetypes we’ve seen in the past that haven’t been very desirable.

MH: The Acolyte centers around themes of mentorship and study. Who has been your primary teacher in your journey into Star Wars? Who has been your “Sith Master”?

MJ: 100% Leslye Headland. I defer to her on anything I feel unsure about—she is my master, she is my captain. She gave me so much power in this role, and made me feel free in this role. She nurtured my ideas. I felt no judgment from her.

Even as the episodes were going, we would text each other, always making sure she had my back and just checking how I was. Leslye was my Sith master, and she always will be.

MH: The Stranger comes from a side of the Force that’s all about harnessing inner darkness. What inner darkness did you tap into to be the new Star Wars villain?

MJ: The Stranger has been brought into a world that doesn’t accept who he is. You learn previously that he tried to be something he wasn’t. He tried to fit in. But he exists in a society that doesn’t accept who he is.

I hate to bring this back to race, but this is exactly what it is like, in this industry where you don’t see Asian American males—Asians in general—as romantic leads. It wasn’t in our generation. It was tapping into that. Tapping into those feelings, being the black sheep, being rejected for who you are and being told you need to be something else. I gathered all of those moments in my life and reflected on that to portrait this anger, sadness, disappointment… even moreso animosity towards a society that doesn’t accept you.

This interview has been edited for content and clarity.

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