Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Top Gunis one of Hollywood’s finest projects to date and Tom Cruise certainly did a phenomenal job playing the character Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a U.S. Navy Naval Aviator Lieutenant. The 1986 release was more than just a movie based on what goes on in the Navy and it certainly wasn’t a warmonger type of storyline.
A lot went into Cruise’s rehearsal before taking on the role and some actors put themselves in character by directly approaching situations the stories are based on. There’s a lot of understanding and empathizing involved when it comes to taking up characters that portray a larger-than-life role. Cruise had an interesting approach that not many of us would’ve done if we were in the industry.
Tom Cruise spent nine months getting to know fighter pilots and learn about their lives
Tom Cruisehad a deep interest in flying fighter jets and was also allowed to handle an aircraft in a scene inTop Gun, albeit he was in the backseat. During an interview withThe Uncool, he mentioned spending a lot of time with fighter pilots to understand the emotions they carry while serving in the Navy.
Cruise revealed that he and hisTop Gunteam had to travel to Washington to talk to the Navy’s secretary while they were trying to acquire fighter jets for the movie. He claimed that he spent nearly nine months around fighter pilots.
Tom Cruise’s Top Gun May Have Never Happened Without His ‘Unicorn Movie’ That Almost Derailed His Career: ‘It made me hungry’
The actor, who was in his 20s at the time claimed that flying fighter jets was an experience that was “bigger than life itself”. He said,
It blows your sh*t away. These guys do it every day and you know why they want it. Flying is so intense and emotional.
His motives while filmingTop Gunwere not to make it seem like any other generic war movie. Cruise wanted to connect with the lives of fighter pilots on a personal level, trying to understand why they do what they do. He added,
Ever since I got involved in Top Gun, I didn’t want to make a warmonger movie. I wanted to get into the personality of these guys, what makes them fly. What makes my character, Maverick, want to fly? I wanted to give him a sensitivity.
This is certainly something that brought a lot more emotion out of Cruise’s character as well. Maverick had to deal with competing against other pilots training to become the best officer there is. He knew he had to approach this project with great thought about what pilots in general go through.
Tom Cruise recalls watching tapes of plane crashes to portray the emotional aspect of being involved in one
Many of us have probably come across videos of plane crash investigations on YouTube. The things pilots have to go through during the final moments of a crash make them seem like the bravest individuals on Earth.
But there’s also an emotional side to it, added to the stress that they experience while trying to get themselves to safety. Tom Cruise recalled when he watched a video of a jet doing air combat maneuvers when suddenly one of the plane’s engines went out.
Real Reason Tom Cruise’s Top Gun 2 Ditched Meg Ryan When She Needed it the Most: ‘We didn’t want to be looking back’
TheMission Impossiblestar described the situation claiming the helicopter filming the plane caught the pilot’s reaction in real time claiming that it would’ve been an extremely tough situation to get through as the G-force would restrict a pilot’s ability to move and trigger the ejection.
You hear them trying to talk, and your heart is in your throat watching this. It’s just bits and pieces…of…them…trying…to…talk, and you feel their training, trying to keep that control and knowing that, my God, this is it.
Cruise revealed that there were no fatalities, luckily. But such is the life of pilots who dedicate their lives to serving the country. And based on Cruise’s reaction, it’s evident that it also scared him a little bit.
Top Guncan be streamed on Paramount+.
Rakibul John Rodgers
Articles Published :160
Rakib is a writer at Fandomwire. He loves to delve into the worlds of horror, mystery, and pop culture. With a keen interest in sports, particularly basketball and MMA, he stays up-to-date on the latest developments. Outside of writing, Rakib values time with loved ones and finds solace in music, his first love.
