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Behind the impressive scenes and stellar performances, Top Gun Maverick holds a plethora of fascinating information about its young cast.
Nearly four decades since Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards soared across the screen as Maverick and Goose in Top Gun (1986), Maverick, the skilled pilot, returns to Top Gun as the instructor for the Navy's elite pilots.
Let's explore some interesting truths about the young pilots in the blockbuster Top Gun Maverick!
Diverse professions before taking on pilot roles
In the new generation of Top Gun Maverick pilots, alongside experienced actors like Miles Teller as 'Goose' and Glen Powell as 'Hangman,' we have newcomers who have ventured into various fields unrelated to the film industry, such as Greg Tarzan Davis as 'Coyote' and Monica Barbaro as 'Phoenix.'
Greg Davis's rise is truly extraordinary. Just a few years ago, he was a 1st-grade teacher in Baton Rouge. Davis caught the attention of Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie (also the scriptwriter for Top Gun Maverick) while preparing for his second film.
Monica Barbaro's journey was quite different. Born in San Francisco and raised in California, she attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Trained in ballet, salsa, flamenco, and modern dance, Monica spoke about leaving her dance career for acting, saying, 'I spent 15 years of my life dedicated to dance. It wasn't an easy farewell.'
One actor in the cast is afraid of flying
Future pilots began training on the single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawks. Ramirez, playing the pilot with the code name 'Fanboy,' recalled signing a commitment paper stating his comfort with flying. He admitted, 'It was an issue because I was extremely afraid of flying. But I signed that paper, and after the first few weeks of filming, I was eagerly anticipating my next flight.'
To prepare the young actors, Tom Cruise sent them to a military training camp to familiarize them with the military environment. The newcomers of Top Gun Maverick had to participate in a special flight training program designed by Tom Cruise himself. The actor stated, 'I need my guys to confidently fly an F/A-18 without passing out.'
3 out of the 6 new actors in the film vomited every day while filming on the jet prop plane
Most of the cast underwent intense G-force endurance training to withstand the immense pressure from G-forces during flights. Its impact on the human body is easily noticeable and challenging to replicate using special effects or CGI.
'Currently, Earth's gravitational force on the human body is 1G.' Cruise explained. '2G is double our body weight. 3G is triple our body weight. So, if someone weighs 200 pounds (about 90kg) and experiences 2G, they will feel like a 400-pound (180kg) weight is crushing them, forcing blood out of their brain. Vision will be impaired, and all the blood will rush to the legs. Therefore, you need to train to avoid falling into a state called G-LOC - loss of consciousness. You need to enhance your endurance to adapt to gradually increasing G-forces and be able to fly. I want the audience to witness and feel the impact of G-force. It's something that effects and CGI cannot simulate.'
According to Miles Teller, 3 out of the 6 new actors in the film vomited every day while filming on the jet prop plane. Actor Glen Powell earned a real pilot's license after completing the training for his role.
Beach volleyball scene
In Top Gun: Maverick, the beach volleyball scene recalls the iconic volleyball match from Top Gun. Actor Glen Powell mentioned a masculine rivalry among the male actors on who has the most outstanding physique: 'Because of that shirtless scene, the guys competed fiercely. The gym was crowded morning and night.'
This is a scene that Tom Cruise particularly focused on, so the actors had to intensify their 'body fitness' training even more.
Glen Powell was genuinely surprised by Miles Teller's physique in the film. On the day of shooting the shirtless scene for the beach volleyball match, all male actors took off their shirts, applied oil, performed crunches, and push-ups. Glen Powell exclaimed, 'Oh my God, buddy! What just happened?' Teller replied, 'Gym, I hit the gym, man'.
Top Gun Maverick is currently screening nationwide.
