Metro Manila, Philippines – It was a “Freaky” Tuesday night in Manila on August 5 as Filipino-Canadian actor and star Manny Jacinto met adoring fans at the SM Mall of Asia during the Philippine premiere and fan event of Freakier Friday, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2003 Disney classic Freaky Friday, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
As part of NewsWatch Plus, I had the joy of joining the festivities as the screaming fans celebrated the original 2003 film, Y2K nostalgia, and the homecoming of the Philippine-born Jacinto.
Manny in Manila
The large, buzzing crowd had gathered as early as three hours before the event, just to get a chance for a glimpse of the heartthrob Jacinto. Jacinto, born in the Philippines in 1987 before emigrating to Canada when he was a toddler, is best known for his breakthrough role as the lovable airhead Jason Mendoza on the TV series The Good Place.
He has also starred as a terrifying villain in Star Wars TV series The Acolyte, co-starred with Nicole Kidman in Season 1 of Nine Perfect Strangers, and appears in the Tom Cruise action blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick.
Hundreds of fans lined up at the Main Atrium of SM Mall of Asia to welcome Jacinto. As he made his way through the crowd, screams and selfies were happening non-stop. Jacinto said earlier that this homecoming visit was very noteworthy for him.
"The Philippines has always held a special place in my heart, so I’m thrilled to be able to come home and share Freakier Friday with my fellow Filipinos.”
Once on stage, Jacinto was asked about his feelings toward being a part of this big sequel.
“It feels like a dream. I was born here so [for] a local boy to act opposite Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis is wild to me.”
To the delight of the crowd, Jacinto spoke in Tagalog as much as he could.
"Maraming-maraming salamat. Sobrang excited to be here. This is so much love, it really means the world.”
As a special treat, a few lucky fans were brought on stage to play a round of Pinoy Henyo with Jacinto himself!
As the fan event came to a close, Jacinto invited everyone to watch the new film, cracking out Tagalog phrases as if he never left the country:
“Sana panoorin n’yo ang "Freakier Friday." It’s a fun one! It’s a dream to be here right now. Thank you. Mahal kita!”
A Sequel That’s Worth the Wait
After the event, some fans and members of the press were then ushered in to witness the Philippine premiere of Freakier Friday. In 2003’s Disney comedy Freaky Friday, mother and daughter Tess and Anna (played by Curtis and Lohan respectively) learned to embrace everything about each other in order to reverse a curse that caused them to switch bodies.
It’s now been twenty-two years since, and many things have changed. Anna, now working as a music producer, is a single mother to teenager Harper, while Tess, who’s now turned her therapy job into a podcast, is helping out as best she can.
Jacinto plays Lohan’s new love interest, a British-Filipino chef named Eric who has a daughter named Lily – a teenage girl who just happens to be Harper’s classmate and nemesis. And yes, Jacinto is sporting a British accent for the film. When Eric and Anna get engaged, Harper and Lily fear for the future, causing rifts between the families.
As the characters navigate the challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning does indeed strike twice as a mysterious encounter with a fortune teller during Anna’s bachelorette party causes a crazy four-way body swap between Tess, Anna, Harper, and Lily.
Hilarity ensues as the four try to figure out how to switch back into their own bodies before Anna and Eric’s wedding that weekend. You’ll have to catch the movie in theaters to find out what happens next, but what I can say is that Freakier Friday is a delightful throwback to those 2000s comedies we know and love. The cast is also terrific, with Curtis and Lohan not afraid to look silly. The film also makes use of Jacinto’s charm and persona to full effect.
Before the screening, Jacinto made another appearance inside the cinema.
“I’m so excited. Sana mag-enjoy kayo,” Jacinto said to cheers and applause from the crowd, with a couple of people shouting out his use of Tagalog.
“I’ve been practicing!” joked the actor.
This truly felt like a remarkable homecoming for Jacinto, who was all smiles during the event.
“It’s good to walk into a theater with people who look like me,” said the star before thanking everyone for coming.
Freakier Friday is now showing in Philippine cinemas nationwide.
Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures & Jio de Leon.