Over two decades ago, the comedy Freaky Friday posed the question: What would happen if a mom and her teenage daughter — played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan — swapped bodies?

Earlier this month, the sequel Freakier Friday hit theaters, back with a similar premise and much of the same cast. But this time, with a new romantic lead: Manny Jacinto, known for his role on the sitcom The Good Place.

LAist host Antonia Cereijido spoke to Jacinto about the enduring allure of the inter-generational body swap conceit, aging in Hollywood, and how the movie is a love letter to Los Angeles.

On switching bodies with a parent: “ I don't know if I could hack it”

At their most humorous and endearing, the Freaky Friday movies are about learning to appreciate the experience of loved ones who come from a different generation than you.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan in Freakier Friday.

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Glen Wilson

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Courtesy of Disney Enterprises

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Jacinto, who plays Lindsey Lohan’s love interest in the new Freakier Friday, says that’s what makes the new sequel — and its 2003 predecessor — special.

Even though Jacinto’s character doesn’t undergo a body swap in the film, it’s a thought experiment that resonates with him on a personal level — especially when thinking about his father.

 Manny Jacinto:  He's a first-gen immigrant. He came from the Philippines, traveled across the sea to Canada, left his brothers and sisters to pursue this better life for his children. I probably wouldn't survive a day.

Antonia Cereijido: Really, why?

 Manny Jacinto:  I just remember seeing my dad waking up like at 4 a.m. He's an engineer by trade, but he did whatever he had to do to provide for his family. So he worked as a parking attendant —12-, 14-hour days, six days a week.  I don't know if I could hack it.

Antonia Cereijido: Do you think he would learn something about you, being in your shoes?

 Manny Jacinto:  Yeah. He’d be like, why is this so easy? [laughing] How is it that I get to play pretend and I get paid to do this? But secretly, I think my dad loves a little bit of the limelight or the Hollywood-ness of it all.

Antonia Cereijido: And I'm sure seeing you live that out for him is super gratifying …

 Manny Jacinto:  Yeah, whenever, like, we have dinner and say our waiter is, like, “Sorry, are you ... ?” And then my dad is usually the one to finish, to be like, “The Good Place? Yes! He was the actor on The Good Place. Do you wanna take a photo? I can take the photo for you.” Which I love. He's definitely embraced it.

On playing a Dad in Freakier Friday — and accepting being 'dad' age

Antonia Cereijido:  I saw you say that you were offended when they offered you a role to be a dad. I feel like we hear a lot about what it's like for women to age in Hollywood, which I think makes sense. But I'm curious for you — how did working on this movie make you think about getting older?

 Manny Jacinto: I was reading an article or a headline talking about how 40s is the new 30s and what not. … I do feel like when I was growing up, people in their 30s were true adults. Maybe because I'm in this industry, where I'm constantly playing pretend, I feel like I'm just a kid in general. Maybe I'm stuck in a certain age in my head where I still think I'm 28 or at least late 20s.

But yeah … I started really grappling with the fact that I am at a certain age where people do have kids and are taking on those responsibilities. It really hit me in terms of the idea of getting older when the transition hit, when I started to become the parent in my parent dynamic. Like, when we went on a trip and I was the one who started to take care of my parents — making sure that they went to the washroom, that they had water, that they had their medicine, and I carried all the bags. So tapping into that, I was like, 'Oh, there's a transition happening in my life.’ But yeah, I was still offended, terrified, and partly having a midlife crisis knowing that [I could play a dad].

Jamie Lee Curtis, left, and Lindsay Lohan as Tess and Anna Coleman in <em>Freakier Friday.</em>

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Glen Wilson

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Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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Freakier Friday as a love letter to LA

The film will have particular meaning for Angelenos who will spot a lot of beloved locations as the backdrops to the movie. Jacinto, who lives in Los Angeles, said how important it was for him that the movie was shot in L.A. at a time when so many productions are leaving the city. And how the film unexpectedly turned into a pre-fires time capsule.

 Manny Jacinto: It was our chance to highlight areas of L.A. that we truly love, like the duck boats in Echo Park, the restaurant at the Line Hotel. But also, the most important, which was the original house, from [the 2003 movie] — the one in the Pacific Palisades. The fact that we got to film there before it unfortunately got taken away by the fires.

Antonia Cereijido: Oh my gosh … I did not realize that that house is gone now …

 Manny Jacinto: Yeah, it's no longer with us. We were so lucky to be able to film at that original house before that tragedy happened. We were able to commemorate that home … which makes this movie so much more special.

Lead photo caption and credit: Manny Jacinto as Eric Davies and Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman in Disney's Freakier Friday. Glen Wilson/ Courtesy Disney Enterprises