“Top Gun: Maverick” stars Miles Teller (Rooster), Jon Hamm (Cyclone), Jennifer Connelly (Penny Benjamin), Jay Ellis (Payback), Monica Barbaro (Phoenix), Glen Powell (Hangman), Greg Tarzan Davis Coyote), Danny Ramirez (Fanboy), Lewis Pullman (Bob), Charles Parnell (Warlock), Bashir Salahuddin (Coleman), plus producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski discuss their highly anticipated “Top Gun” sequel in this interview with CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell. Find out how Tom Cruise surprised Jennifer Connelly with a flight, how the cast supported each other during the movie’s delay and more.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00That's what Top Gun's been doing for years, making grown men cry.
00:03Here comes some G's.
00:06There's five G's.
00:10Seven G's.
00:21Let me be the next person to tell you guys how great this movie is.
00:25Keep it coming.
00:26How much fun it's going to be for you guys.
00:28Let's go fire.
00:31Alright, so with all due respect to your performances,
00:34when we see you guys in the jets, how much of it is actual acting,
00:37and how much of it is you guys reacting to crazy shit that's happening to you?
00:41Acting is reacting.
00:43Literally.
00:44I mean, it's all performance, actually, because you have the four cameras in the cockpit,
00:49and to be fair, a lot of the time, you know, with the cameras,
00:53you couldn't always see everything,
00:55and I think that's why we had so many hours in these things beforehand,
00:59so that we weren't, we were as comfortable as we could be in the jet,
01:02and then you're just able to focus on, because you have to act like you're flying the thing,
01:06and you have to be in perfect sequence with your pilot,
01:09otherwise the shot falls apart.
01:11So, I mean, I think that was a good thing,
01:14that there were so many things we had to focus on up there to be able to get the shot,
01:19and all these things that, yeah, didn't have any of those moments.
01:24There was a little bit of both, because we got so used to going up there,
01:27and our bodies were so adapted to the Gs,
01:29that I think, like, a month or two in of being in the air,
01:33Tom was like, all right, so you guys have adapted so well,
01:35that now, like, there's, you guys have to start, like, adding more intensity in certain moments,
01:40so then we then had to, like, just act in, like, as we're, like, scraping the side of a mountain,
01:45we also had to be like, all right, we're so used to it that we have to add a little bit more.
01:48Professor Cruz trained us so well that we, you know,
01:53when you're flying 500 knots through canyons, you're not as phased as you were, you know, months earlier.
01:59Let's go, let's see what you got.
02:01Before we started actually flying in the jets, of course, we could do all the reading and the research
02:05and watching from other people's experiences on YouTube,
02:07like, how to handle the G-forces and what the maneuvers really feel like,
02:10but it's not until you actually get in the air and be able to feel the, like, you know.
02:17The what?
02:19That is an imitation of a G-pull.
02:21A G-pull, oh, yeah.
02:23We had a slightly different variation, which is so funny.
02:27That's not exactly how it goes.
02:29But that's how I try to save myself all the time.
02:34That's all we were doing on the beach football scene, just going.
02:39Please tell me at some point you got into one of the planes and went for a ride.
02:42I wish. No, I did not get to experience that.
02:45They're pretty judicious with letting people inside $80 million of taxpayer-funded machinery.
02:53So there was a lot of things to sign before I would have been able to do that,
02:57but I did not get to do that, unfortunately.
02:59I won't give any specifics away, but at one point your character does get to go up in a plane,
03:03and I was so very happy that it happened.
03:05Is that something you asked to happen?
03:07I did not ask, but I did not say no.
03:12I think it might have been Tom's idea.
03:14He mentioned it to me when we were in the plane shooting a scene.
03:18We were just supposed to be on the runway, never supposed to see us take off.
03:23And he asked me if I'd been in a P-51 before, to which I said, no, Tom.
03:29Then he asked if I'd done any aerobatic flying before, to which I said, no, Tom.
03:33Why? Should I be expecting to?
03:36And he said, it's just going to be very gentle.
03:38We're going to do some very gentle rolls.
03:40It's going to be very beautiful.
03:42So that was how I found out we were going to be doing that aerobatic flying, which was amazing.
03:47It was really amazing.
03:49And thank goodness it was with him as a pilot for so many reasons.
03:54A, because, you know, what a life experience, but also I have so much faith in him.
03:58He's so skilled.
04:00His exploits are legendary.
04:03His callsign, Maverick.
04:06Who are your friends?
04:07Payback.
04:08Fanboy.
04:09What do they call you?
04:10Bob.
04:11Bob.
04:12Did everyone love their callsigns?
04:14Did anybody want to trade out their callsigns at all?
04:16Don't take the bait, Bob.
04:18Heck no.
04:19I think I love Bob.
04:20I love mine.
04:21I think it spoke to all of us.
04:23It's funny, we got the opportunity to.
04:25Oh, really?
04:26And one callsign changed and it made sense.
04:30And I was thinking about it because you hear Phoenix in a lot of, like, it's not uncommon.
04:35You hear it in a lot of contexts and there are other characters out there with the name.
04:40But then we all sort of earned our callsigns in very funny ways.
04:47Yeah.
04:48I'll say about that.
04:50Yep.
04:51Save it for the deleted scenes.
04:53She rises from the ashes.
04:54That's just what I'll say.
04:56First night out.
04:57And he will pay you back.
04:59I will.
05:00I will actually.
05:01And if you throw me in the ocean, I will Bob.
05:03You will Bob.
05:06I got to actually, like, come up with mine.
05:09When I first got the job, immediately my original callsign was Slayer.
05:17And in the first Navy briefing, they were like, you know, these are Air Force callsigns, these are Navy callsigns.
05:24They were Air Force callsigns, like Slayer and Spine Ripper.
05:27And I was like, well, I got to change this.
05:29This is an Air Force callsign.
05:30So I went down to Miramar, stayed with some Naval aviators, really just riffed on what that was going to be.
05:35So that's, yeah, Kaczynski, McCrory, you know, and I all came up with Hangman.
05:39Where's he going?
05:40That's why we call him Hangman.
05:42He'll always hang you out to dry.
05:44You need to have a callsign that would be perfect for Penny.
05:46I don't have one that would be perfect for Penny.
05:48I had one in real life at one point a very long time ago, which has nothing to do with Penny.
05:54But in college, I kind of forced myself onto the running team just because I really wanted to be on a team but didn't play any sports, which doesn't really work.
06:03But I thought maybe I can will myself to run fast enough.
06:08And so they let me on kind of.
06:12I think I might have been more a mascot than anything because I never competed, which is a little suspicious.
06:16But I was on the roster.
06:17And on the roster, we all had nicknames that were assigned to us.
06:20And mine was Death Grip, probably because I was the slowest with the least training and the least skill.
06:28But I was very determined.
06:30I love it.
06:31I always held on.
06:32Nice.
06:33What happened to movie soundtracks?
06:35I mean, I grew up in a time when every film had a soundtrack, and Top Gun was one of the pivotal ones.
06:41I just wonder where they went to, and which ones did you guys listen to a ton?
06:44Oh, man.
06:45I mean, that's a great—you know, a soundtrack I listen to all the time is Pulp Fiction.
06:50Oh, that's a wonderful one.
06:52One of the last great ones, actually.
06:53Yeah.
06:54To be honest with you.
06:55Yeah.
06:56I've never really contemplated where they just kind of fade away, and then you don't really notice they're gone.
07:01But that goes into big movies as well.
07:05So you need big movies to have soundtracks that kind of resonate with people.
07:08So that's the great thing about it.
07:10Top Gun Maverick is going to have Lady Gaga's song, so that's going to be one of the new tunes to come out of it.
07:15Absolutely.
07:16Did you have one?
07:17I did, actually.
07:18And you know what's interesting?
07:19I knew the music before I even knew it was a movie.
07:22Because this movie came out way before I was born, but it was Marvin Gaye Troubleman,
07:26which is like one of the most sonically beautiful things ever put on wax.
07:30Yes.
07:31And a friend of mine sent me the album, and I was listening to it, and then later I was like, oh, there's a whole movie.
07:36But you know, soundtracks are a big deal.
07:38You know, the perfect song will help you really encapsulate how you feel about that movie at that time.
07:43And then it becomes special forever.
07:44Yeah, I mean, obviously Top Gun was the one that stuck with me that summer of 86.
07:50The original Top Gun, for sure, that—take my breath away—always got stuck in my head.
07:55Kenny Loggins, you know, Footloose, you know, we all remember that.
08:00Kenny's obviously got a song in our movie.
08:03You are now officially associated with two franchises with amazing soundtracks, Footloose and Top Gun.
08:09Which one do you prefer?
08:10I'm just in the Kenny Loggins fan club, I guess, man.
08:13I'm going to go see Loggins and Messina at the Bowl.
08:16I'm a huge fan.
08:17I mean, I'm just—yeah, it's great.
08:19I'm just revisiting movies from the 80s.
08:22Every little bit, that's what I'm going to do.
08:24What I'm excited about this is, you know, Lady Gaga wrote an original song for our film.
08:28And she did, you know, such an incredible job that Hans used the theme to create the love theme for the film and orchestrated it.
08:37So, you know, I can't wait for people to hear that.
08:39I think Lady Gaga's song, really, she really knocked it out of the park.
08:42It's pretty phenomenal.
08:43Damn right.
08:46Excuse me.
08:47Miss?
08:48Hey, hey, hey.
08:49Don't worry, I'll take care of this.
08:50Like Tom in the original, you get to sing in this movie.
08:52Oh, yeah.
08:53And you can sing, man.
08:54You're a great singer.
08:55So how'd you feel about that scene, approaching it?
08:57Any trepidation or—?
08:59I think—well, I was—it's one of those things where I told them right off the bat, I said,
09:05I played piano when I was younger.
09:07I still dabble a little bit, but I want to—but I don't need a double.
09:11I will play and sing this live.
09:12Okay.
09:13And so then you realize it's a pretty hard song, and he sings pretty high.
09:18But for me, those are always just good kind of motivators to—like, fear of failure,
09:23I think, is—a lot of actors say that, but it is very true.
09:27Show me what you're made of.
09:28There's a speech in the middle of the movie that I love where Maverick says,
09:31Push beyond your limits.
09:32So who, for you, from an acting standpoint, was your Maverick?
09:35Who pushed you beyond where you were comfortable?
09:37I've been very fortunate in my career to work with some of the most talented people in the world,
09:41and this is certainly one of them.
09:44And I've had a lot of incredible teachers down the line, too.
09:48And one of the things that I learned was the uncomfortable part is the part where you learn the most.
09:55And I think that that gets to what you were saying with what Tom's character was saying in the film.
10:01It's like, let's see what your limits really are.
10:03There's the line from The Right Stuff, too, where it's like, let's find out where that demon lives.
10:08Let's see where it is.
10:10And you don't know it until you go past it sometimes.
10:13Tom kind of serves that role on the film.
10:17I would describe it more as him bringing you along on his energy.
10:21And also, he's taking part in the casting process.
10:24So there's the added factor that he chose you in the first place.
10:28So there's confidence that comes along with that.
10:30And then he pushes you and pushes you in a good way.
10:33So he would be, yeah, he is my Maverick.
10:35I think Tom pushed me every day, you know, with good reason.
10:39This is a really special film for him, a special character to come back and play.
10:43So we wanted to honor the original, but make sure that we tried to surpass it and tell our own story.
10:49Part of the great, I think, why this movie is resonating with so many people is that we're also seeing the evolution of this character.
10:55You know, you make different decisions when you're 25 than you do when you're 50.
10:59And different things mean different things to you.
11:02So responsibility means something very different when you're 25 than it does when you're 50.
11:07And loss and grief and friendship and duty and all of those things that are big themes in the film.
11:13Well, and life experience too, you know.
11:15That's for sure.
11:16There's learning in the classroom and there's actually doing, which is another big theme of this movie.
11:19Yes, it is.
11:20And does that apply to acting also?
11:21Very much so.
11:22You know, acting is a very weird thing in that you can't just practice it by yourself.
11:28Right.
11:29It's not violin playing or painting or something.
11:33You can't just go in a room by yourself and become an expert at it.
11:37You actually have to do it with other people and in front of an audience and get that kind of feedback.
11:41So there is the sense of the man in the arena, for sure.
11:45What is one thing that Tom gave you guys that you'll take away from this production and use with you for the rest of your career?
11:51I think the responsibility of storytellers, of always not being okay with just doing an okay job.
11:59You know, like just always pushing the limit no matter what type of, if it is a movie like Top Gun Maverick or if it's an indie drama, whatever it is, it's in pushing the envelope forward in our medium.
12:09Because we've, I mean, there's, I think I looked it up, there's like 500,000 movies in existence, right?
12:15Or something like, or a bigger number.
12:17And it's like, we can just always watch one of those.
12:19Or if we're going to bring something new to the table, it should have new life or just be pushed to the absolute limit.
12:25So I think that.
12:26It was sort of like, it's interesting because not only am I working with the icon that is Tom Cruise, but Ed Harris is like, I love that dude.
12:34I think I've seen The Abyss more than most people.
12:37Probably too much.
12:38I think it may be a little bit unhealthy, my relationship with that movie.
12:41But he's a consummate professional.
12:43He's a really nice guy.
12:44You know, even in the makeup trailer, he'd be chatting me up.
12:46And so, I just, it was one of those experiences you have, but you kind of can't even think about it in real time.
12:52You kind of have to wait until you're finished with it at home and you're laying in bed going, did that shit really happen?
12:57That's so crazy.
12:58I got pictures.
12:59I guess it did.
13:00But yeah, it was, I mean, I feel very lucky.
13:09Jay, how did growing up in a military family allow you to bring some more insight to the character?
13:14You know, I think the thing for me was there was this pride and this respect and even responsibility, which I think everyone ended up feeling the responsibility, especially as we got to meet more of the pilots and more of the aviation community at large.
13:27But for me, I remember the first time we drove on base in North Island, I was like, oh, this is my childhood.
13:32Growing through the gates, showing someone my ID.
13:35This is literally all these memories just started to pop back in my head.
13:39And I just had this sense of like, oh, I know that's the BX.
13:42That's the theater.
13:43Like, oh, there's a subway here.
13:44Yep.
13:45There's a subway on our base.
13:46There was all this familiarity that immediately just kind of kicked in for me.
13:51And I think I even found myself with the exception of one night where we went out.
13:57I think I found myself even very much being like back on, like the kind of clock that I was on when I was a kid.
14:03Like, you're up at this time.
14:04You do this thing.
14:05You hear the horns in the morning.
14:06You hear right.
14:07Like there were all these things that just started to kick in.
14:09And for me, it was just this immense pride.
14:12And also the responsibility of wanting to portray men and women who, you know,
14:19sacrifice their lives and time away from their family every single day to protect this country.
14:24We're going into combat on a level no living pilot's ever seen.
14:31Your reputation precedes you.
14:33I have to admit, I wasn't expecting an invitation back.
14:37They're called orders, Maverick.
14:39Mr. Bruckheimer, back in 1986, when a movie did as well as Top Gun, you would try to make a sequel out of it.
14:45Was there any push to maybe get a sequel going at that time?
14:48Yeah, there was.
14:49We certainly worked on it, but we got sidetracked with all the movies that we had to shoot right away.
14:55And that's kind of what happens in our business.
14:58And Tom went off and did a lot of terrific movies, working with great directors and writers.
15:02So it finally came together when there was some zeitgeists that wanted to say,
15:07it's about time we get this movie made.
15:09And thanks to Joe, we came up with a story that Tom loved.
15:13Just want to manage the expectations.
15:14What's the hardest part about having a movie get moved back when you know it's good?
15:19Anticipation is real.
15:21You know, you're just, we're so proud of the film.
15:24And we saw the movie, the cast and I saw the movie in deep pandemic, lockdown pandemic.
15:31We all went to a theater with masks on and we sat 10 seats apart.
15:35And we were so thrilled with the movie.
15:38And then we were like, well, is it ever going to come out?
15:41We don't even know.
15:42So the fact that actually we're getting to share it now with the world is tremendously exciting.
15:47People ask me that, man, you got to be so bummed.
15:50This movie's not coming out and all these things.
15:52And I don't know, I think personally, I've just never been,
15:56I would have been more anxious if it was delayed and it was horrible, to be fair.
16:01But with everything else, I'm just really proud of the work we did.
16:04And I wouldn't have wanted it to come out if theaters weren't open
16:08and people didn't feel comfortable sitting next to each other
16:11and really kind of having that summer blockbuster experience.
16:16So I'm all good with it.
16:18I think it was always meant to be a huge community film.
16:24And also, you know, epically on a big screen with a wonderful sound system.
16:30And I mean, they designed specific IMAX cameras for this film
16:34that could go in jets at certain speeds and pull G's and all the things.
16:38And so to know that it required community and to know that we were so far away
16:43from being able to gather was, I think that was probably the hardest thing.
16:47What an answer.
16:48Yeah, it was good.
16:49I mean, what can you, you can't even say anything else.
16:52I was never feeling like we got to get this thing out ASAP,
16:56like we should put it out on streaming or anything.
16:58It felt very comfortable.
16:59Like, I'm really glad that Paramount and Tom and Joe know that
17:03there's no other way than in theaters with a packed audience
17:07because this is how this film was meant to be seen.
17:09I mean, I think the hardest thing for me was just not being with you guys.
17:12For me, it was just like, oh, I wanted us to all,
17:14we had such a great time filming and bonded so much that, you know,
17:19it's very normal to go away for 10 months to a year and then you come back
17:24and you do your press tour and the movie comes out.
17:26And like for me, it was like, oh, I can't wait to get back with the gang.
17:28Like, oh, it's like going back to school.
17:29It's like that morning before you go back to school and you can't sleep
17:32and you know, like the outfit, did you guys ever do this?
17:34You like know exactly what you're going to wear.
17:36You're going to like look great.
17:37You're going to like say the cool thing and pick the right locker.
17:39But we never got to, it just got pushed out and pushed out.
17:42And finally, we're now at school.
17:43And I just feel excited to be here with you guys.
17:45And it's a great first day of school.
17:46It's a great first day.
17:47Thank you very much.
17:49Thank you, man.
17:50Thank you.
17:51I appreciate that.
17:52It's really good to think about the reason that the release date
17:54is moving back and back.
17:55We were all going through a pandemic together.
17:57All of us.
17:58Nobody was excluded from that.
17:59You know, unless you had a super secret satellite somewhere,
18:02you could be on another planet for a while.
18:03But for most of us, you know, we really had to hunker down.
18:06And so for me, even though, yeah, you always want people to see stuff,
18:09but you want them to really experience it at the right time.
18:12And I feel like our movie now is this wonderful present
18:15kind of waiting for us at the end of this sort of long journey.
18:18It's coming out in a perfect time.
18:19You know, right after the pandemic,
18:20we were really fighting for the cinemas to stay open
18:23and keep pushing forward.
18:24We want people to be in the cinemas.
18:25And I think this is the perfect time.
18:27Timing is everything.
18:28When it ended, I said, oh, that's why they pushed it back.
18:31Exactly.
18:33You know what?
18:34We were all frustrated, but I got to say,
18:35Tom and Paramount did the right thing.
18:37This is the most cinematic movie I think I've ever seen in my whole life.
18:40Ever made.
18:41To see it with an audience, it's truly,
18:43it's like there's nothing like it.
18:44Your kind is headed for extinction.
18:48Maybe so, sir.
18:51But not today.