Manny Jacinto, Haley Hudson, Sophia Hammons and Nisha Ganatra attend the Disney’s “Freakier Friday” digital release celebration at Break Room 86 on November 5, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
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It was arguably the most-anticipated sequel of the summer blockbuster season – and now, Freakier Friday is available to enjoy from home on digital and streaming on Disney+.
A charming follow-up to the 2003 Freaky Friday comedy, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reprised their roles of Tess and Anna Coleman, as they strengthened their family bond and their individual confidence through a mother-daughter body-swapping. This time around in Freakier Friday, Anna and Tess body-swap with Anna’s teenage daughter Harper and soon-t0-be stepdaughter Lily in a hilarious and heartfelt, new tale.
Julia Butters, Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sophia Hammons in “Freakier Friday”
Disney
Grossing more than $153 million dollars worldwide at the box office since its August theatrical release, Freakier Friday is a certified success, as moviegoers from all walks of life showed up in movie theaters to witness the long-awaited return of this beloved Disney cinematic universe.
Recently sitting down with Freakier Friday’s director Nisha Ganatra and the actor Manny Jacinto at the movie’s digital release celebration in Los Angeles, California, I wondered what it means to Ganatra to see the success that Freakier Friday continues to have.
Kristin Burr, Manny Jacinto, Julia Butters, Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sophia Hammons, Chad Michael Murray, Nisha Ganatra and Jordan Weiss attend the UK premiere of Disney’s “Freakier Friday” at Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square in London, United Kingdom on July 31, 2025.
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Ganatra said, “I mean, I don’t watch sports or anything, but I was watching the box office on this and feeling like what I think sports fans feel. Jamie Lee Curtis taught me about the box office and Disney told me if it reaches a certain amount, that’s considered successful. Really, the goal of making films is you just want to keep doing it. So, there has to be a certain level of success so that you can keep your dream going and make another movie. So, I have to say when it crossed that thing and people were like – This movie is a huge financial success at the box office, it was so exciting for me because all these stories that had been closed suddenly started opening up. You could direct this kind of movie, you could make a genre film, you could make a franchise – and that’s so exciting. There are so few female filmmakers that get those opportunities.”
As for Jacinto, who plays Eric Reyes in Freakier Friday, the on-screen love interest of Lohan’s Anna and the single dad of Lily, the Filipino-Canadian actor continues to see the upward trajectory of his own creative and celebrated career – best known previously for his memorable performances in shows like The Good Place and Star Wars: The Acolyte. So, what does it mean to Jacinto to see the success of his work, including with Freakier Friday, and getting to play quality characters and a supportive player to these leading women, both on-screen and off?
Manny Jacinto attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Disney’s “Freakier Friday” at El Capitan Theatre on July 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
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Jacinto said, “I mean, we need more green flags out there, you know what I mean? I’m more than happy to play a positive role model out there, especially having a strong father figure myself who instilled great values, to be able to share that and hopefully inspire some people to be someone like that – be like Eric is cool, you know? I’ve played dumb people, I’ve played people that aren’t so good – so getting to play somebody that has great values, can cook really well and whose hips don’t lie, is always great.”
Jacinto is referring to a playful scene in Freakier Friday, where his character Eric and Anna take dancing lessons before their wedding, which featured the popular 1987 Dirty Dancing song, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. So, I was curious how Jacinto enjoyed having a “Patrick Swayze”-like dance moment in Freakier Friday.
Manny Jacinto in “Freakier Friday”
Disney
He revealed, “I think we were actually pretty close to not having it, because I think there was a bit of – not tension – but I think we didn’t know whether we would be able to get the rights [to the song], but Kristin Burr, our producer, it was like her baby – it was her mission to get that dance sequence and that music on there. I was game from day one. It wasn’t scripted, but then when Nisha found out that I could dance a little bit, we definitely went for it.”
Before taking the directing chair for Freakier Friday, Ganatra was previously known for bringing other female-led and empowering films to our screens, including 2019’s Late Night and 2020’s The High Note.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in “Freakier Friday”
Disney
Ganatra, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Women In Film organization, said, “My favorite Hollywood movies always have smart women being smart and supporting each other in the end or helping each other – and for some reason, Hollywood stopped making those movies for a while. I love that these are the movies I’m doing because they are the movies I want to see. They leave you feeling inspired and hopeful and happy and joy. I think the fact that people are going to the theater again shows that we want a communal experience, and I don’t think that communal experience just has to be horror films and triggering our fight-or-flight. It can just trigger joy and connection and love.”
With me having interviewed Jacinto’s co-star Lohan for Freakier Friday this past summer, I was curious what it is like to work with the longtime beloved movie star and how he would describe Lohan as a fellow creative professional today.
Manny Jacinto and Lindsay Lohan in “Freakier Friday”
Disney
Jacinto said, “It’s incredible to get to work with her at a time when she’s a new mother. I feel like she has this growth to her, like a new sense of maturity. I definitely feel like we’re a part of the ‘Lohanissance’ right now, where she wants to do incredible – just very serious work, and I think she just is ready to take on that next stage in her career and where she is supposed to go. I’m excited for her. She just was always down to play on the set and always very supportive.”
Following the box office success of Freakier Friday, I playfully wondered with Ganatra when we will get a Freakiest Friday movie next.
Ganatra said with a laugh, “Oh my God, that is up to the powers that be at Disney – and by that, I mean Jamie and Lindsay. I’m always down to play with Jamie and Lindsay. They are amazing.”
Concluding my conversation with Jacinto, I asked him my original, signature interview question, wondering what he would say to his Freakier Friday character Eric, being a single dad and during the highs-and-lows that each of these characters experience throughout this hit Disney sequel.
Jacinto said, “I would say – Have faith in the women. They’re going through a lot, so just support them. Try and be an anchor for them, because you don’t know what they are going through. I think with those words, he would have a less stressful time.”
