It would be rather disappointing if Manny Jacinto didn’t have a good story of first meeting the original “Freaky Friday” cast upon joining the sequel. Luckily, Jamie Lee Curtis makes a memorable first impression.

“The first time I met Jamie was in the makeup chair, and she told me to screw myself because apparently she mistakenly tried on my pants, and I guess they didn’t quite fit, and she was offended by that,” Jacinto says. “And after we got through that hurdle, it was all hugs and laughter.”

Jacinto joins Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray and more for “Freakier Friday,” the long-awaited follow up to their 2003 hit film, in theaters Friday. Jacinto plays Eric, husband to Lohan’s character Anna.

“There’s this obvious sense of pressure to get it right, and I think everybody feels that, but I’ve always felt so taken care of by the people that are part of the team,” Jacinto says of joining the cast. “You feel like the new kid in school and you’re nervous and you want to be a part of the cool kids. And luckily, the cool kids are actually cool and welcoming.”

Jacinto had heard rumors about another “Freaky Friday” movie but didn’t give it a second thought until Nisha Ganatra, the film’s director, asked to meet. 

“She mentioned the type of character that she would love for me to play. We talked about the first movie and we talked about just each other’s work,” says Jacinto. “She was a big fan of my work, and I was a big fan of hers, and it kind of just came together in such a beautiful way because we not only got to build this character together, but we collaborated for a number of different scenes, and she’s very kind of on her feet and likes to try things,” he adds. “We found a lot of magic through kind of exploring together.”

Eric marks the first time Jacinto, 37, has played a father onscreen and the role at first took some getting used to. “I was like, ‘damn, am I that old?’” he jokes. 

Not only was he drawn to the opportunity to play a positive father figure, but being the romantic lead was its own novelty. 

“I definitely wanted the opportunity to just play that straight man anchor that carries the heart of the film,” says Jacinto, who is best known for the NBC comedy series “The Good Place.” “People have seen me in comedies, or they’ve see me do action stuff, but nothing where it’s just something with heart and something that’s kind of grounded.”

After press in New York, Jacinto, who was born in Manila and raised in Vancouver, will head to the Philippines for a special screening of the film. The trip marks his first time going to the country for work.

“A lot of articles are saying ‘Manny’s finally coming home,’ which is very, very sweet,” he says. “I’ll get to see some family as well and show them that I’m doing OK, that it’s all not just a lie.”