Top Gun Actors Then And Now: Look back at the cast of the renowned 1986 original and learn about their current projects before Maverick debuts on May 24. Since the release of the first teaser, it has been evident that the much-anticipated follow-up to 1986’s high-flying blockbuster Top Gun will evoke sentimental memories of the original movie.
Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to the Tony Scott-directed original, which earned $356 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and included heart-pounding aerial combat maneuvers and shirtless volleyball matches.
1. Kelly McGillis
Producer of Top Gun Jerry Bruckheimer saw Kelly McGillis in Witness with Harrison Ford as an Amish woman, and he hired her to play Charlie Blackwood, the strict teacher, and love interest.
After becoming an excellent star in the late 1980s and enjoying enormous financial success with Top Gun, McGillis kept to theatrical roles. He did, however, star in a few films, including The Accused in 1988.
2. Val Kilmer
Many of the stars of Top Gun were haunted by their roles, and Val Kilmer is no exception. Kilmer was chosen for the position of Iceman, the cool-headed, methodical adversary, after enjoying success as the showrunner of the teen sci-fi comedy Real Genius.
In a heartwarming sequence of wingmanship toward the movie’s end, Iceman, who portrays Maverick’s relentless tormentor, eventually warms to the rebellious nature of the film’s hero. In the years that followed, Kilmer appeared in a variety of movies, such as Willow, The Doors (as frontman Jim Morrison), True Romance,
3. Anthony Edwards
Early in the 1980s, Anthony Edwards had a steady career in TV and minor film roles. Still, his breakthrough performance as Gilbert in the outrageous college comedy Revenge of the Nerds established him as a true leading man. Edwards played Goose, a radar intercept officer, and Maverick’s constant sidekick in the hugely successful Top Gun, whose life takes a terrible turn halfway through the movie.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Edwards took on many TV movie roles until he was cast as Mark Greene in the medical drama ER. He received four Emmy nominations for this role for outstanding lead actor in a drama series.
4. Tom Cruise
By the time he was chosen to play Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Tom Cruise’s notoriety was growing. The cruise quickly rose to fame between The Outsiders and Risky Business (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actor) when he climbed into the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat and engaged Russian MiGs in head-to-head combat.
He appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s final picture, Eyes Wide Shut, alongside Dustin Hoffman and even played a villain in Michael Mann’s Collateral. He couldn’t have stopped being a leading man if he’d tried.
5. Tom Skerritt
Tom Skerritt had appeared in movies since 1962’s War Hunt. Thus, he was already in the middle of his acting career when he was cast as the wise instructor pilot Viper. He played a variety of television characters throughout the 1960s, frequently portraying soldiers or cowboys in Combat!, The Virginian, and Gunsmoke.
In Robert Altman’s 1970 satire MASH, he appeared as a soldier once more alongside Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland. He is possibly most recognized for his role as Capt. Dallas, captain of the tragic starship Nostromo in Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction horror film Alien. Top Gun Actors Then And Now
Following Top Gun, Skerritt had numerous other film and television appearances, including Steel Magnolias and Cheers. He also earned an Emmy for portraying Sheriff Brock in Picket Fences. He has continued acting, appearing in the 2021 drama film East of the Mountains with Mira Sorvino.
6. Michael Ironside
Canadian-born actor Michael Ironside debuted in the late 1970s but gained notoriety for his role as cunning psychic Darryl Revok in David Cronenberg’s sci-fi horror film Scanners from 1981. Before being chosen to play Jester, Viper’s No. 2 instructor in Top Gun, he played similarly terrifying roles in many low-budget films.
The switch in the genre didn’t significantly impact his career because he kept playing sci-fi characters in movies like Starship Troopers, Total Recall, and Highlander II: The Quickening. He has had a successful television career with roles in shows like Tales From the Crypt, Walker, Texas Ranger, ER, and Desperate Housewives. He just made an appearance on The Dropout on Hulu.
7. Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins already had a recurring part on the TV series St. Elsewhere in 1982, despite having only received his drama degree from UCLA. Before he was eventually cast in Top Gun as Merlin, Maverick’s backseater toward the film’s conclusion, he first appeared in several little parts.
Bull Durham, which came out in 1988, was Robbins’ real breakthrough movie. Jacob’s Ladder, The Player, and The Shawshank Redemption, in which Robbins played the quiet but brilliant prisoner Andy Dufresne, followed. Top Gun Actors Then And Now
Robbins won an Oscar for the 2004 film Mystic River, and his acting career has never slowed. He recently as a felonious DuPont lawyer in the 2019 movie Dark Waters and Reginald “Pop” Merrill in Castle Rock, a Stephen King adaptation on Hulu. Top Gun Actors Then And Now
8. Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan had only made a few TV appearances before being cast as Goose’s wife, Carole, including Rich and Famous in 1981 and Amityville 3-D two years later. Of course, Top Gun was just the beginning; soon after, she starred in success after smash, including When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Courage Under Fire, You’ve Got Mail, and Kate & Leopold.
Ryan later switched to directing, debuting with the 2015 movie Ithaca. Keep yourself updated with all the latest news from our website Newswatchlist.com and get all the recent updates.
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