top gun maverick yacht scene

Screen Rant

Top gun 2's challenging boat scene detailed by maverick director.

Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski explained the difficult process of shooting the sailing boat scene between Maverick and Penny Benjamin.

Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski details the challenges of shooting Maverick and Penny's sailing scene. In between all the high-flying action of the Top Gun sequel, Tom Cruise's rebellious pilot strikes up a romance with Penny (Jennifer Connelly), an admiral's daughter who runs a bar near the Navy flight school. During one sweet moment, Maverick joins Penny out on the open water as she steers her boat back home amid rollicking waves.

In a recent interview with Vulture , Kosinski reiterates that one of the most challenging scenes he shot wasn't one of the aerial sequences - even if he describes some planning challenges for the third act - but Top Gun: Maverick 's sailing boat moment between Maverick and Penny. At first describing how windy it was when they shot the scene in San Francisco, Kosinski also details the tricky logistics of having a camera in a Technocrane while strong winds are pushing a boat. The director says:

I mean, the hardest one, which is one that you wouldn’t think, was actually the sailing sequence. Because there was so much out of our control. I had to shoot that scene three times in three different places before we got it. I shot it off the coast of Los Angeles — there was no wind. Then two weeks later, I shot it off the coast of San Diego — there was no wind. Then we took the whole scene and crew up to San Francisco — and the wind blew like hell. So what you’re seeing is Tom and Jennifer Connelly on a very, very fast carbon-fiber racing boat doing 20, 22 knots. We had an America’s Cup team stuffed into the hull of that thing in case anything went wrong. And Claudio Miranda, the cinematographer, and I are on a boat next to it with a Technocrane. I’m literally holding on to Claudio’s chair for dear life, trying to look at the monitor, and he’s operating the camera. The logistics of being able to pull off a sailing sequence gave me so much more appreciation for … you remember that movie Wind with Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey? I watch that movie now and go, Holy s--t, how did they do that? This is really, really difficult to pull off. So that was an unexpected challenge that was very different than the aerial stuff. But from an aerial point of view, the third act was a monster of logistics, planning, storyboarding, and working in a naval low-level training range up in the Cascades. So that was an extremely complex sequence to figure out. Mav’s low-level, when he proves that the course can be run in two minutes and 15 seconds, was probably the most extreme thing we shot. Just watching that footage, you can see Tom looking directly into the sheer rock face next to him and seeing the shadow from his own jet about 15 feet away. That tells you how extreme the flying was for that sequence. That was probably the most dangerous thing we did.

Related: Was Jennifer Connelly In The Original Top Gun?

Why Practical Action Was Top Gun: Maverick's Biggest Feat

While many invisible edits snagged Top Gun: Maverick a visual effects nomination at the Oscars, the movie contains numerous practical sequences that add authenticity and tension to the movie. Part of the reason the sailing boat sequence between Maverick and Penny is fun to watch is that it was done practically, and that the actors (and filmmakers) are braving the strong winds for the scene to feel as real as possible. The same can be said for Top Gun: Maverick 's aerial scenes, which required a great deal of preparation ahead of filming.

It's part of the reason why the movie resonated with so much with audiences. Many blockbusters contain plenty of CGI-driven sequences, while Top Gun: Maverick brought back the joys of having action sequences crafted practically. Not every scene is practical, and visual effects enhanced some practical scenes. However, most of Top Gun: Maverick 's stunts were filmed practically with several IMAX cameras inserted inside the fighter jets, which brought a level of realism cinema had been missing.

Top Gun: Maverick not only tells a gripping story and features incredible performances across the board, but its practical action scenes were made to be experienced on the biggest screen possible. Part of the reason why it was so successful in theaters was that it crafted action scenes to enthrall audiences and unite them to witness how great a film can be when it shoots action on camera and with minimal aid to enhance them. It's unclear if Top Gun: Maverick will win any Oscars , but it has already earned acclaim for its dedication to practical filmmaking.

Next: Top Gun 3 Replacing Tom Cruise Is Much Easier Than Mission: Impossible

Source: Vulture

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Top Gun: Maverick Finally Showcases The New J/125 Sailing Yacht

The long-awaited trailer for Top Gun: Maverick was released this week, giving fans a first look at the long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1980s blockbuster. One of the most highly anticipated scenes in the trailer is the sailing yacht scene, which features Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connolly.

It's no surprise that the scene was filmed on a J/125 sailing yacht, as the J/Boats shipyard is known for its high-performance racing yachts. The J/125 is a popular model among racing sailors and has been featured in several major films and TV shows.

This article takes a closer look at the Top Gun: Maverick sailing yacht scene and the J/125 yacht that was used in the filming.

What made the Top Gun: Maverick sailing yacht scene so iconic?

The sailing yacht scene in Top Gun: Maverick is one of the most iconic scenes in the movie. It's a beautiful, serene moment that starkly contrasts with the rest of the film, which is full of high-octane action and adventure.

But what makes this scene so iconic? Is it the beautiful location? The amazing cinematography? The fact that it's such a change of pace from the rest of the movie?

We believe it's all of these factors and more. The sailing yacht scene in Top Gun: Maverick is an iconic scene because it's a perfect example of how to use all the elements of cinema to create a truly memorable moment.

The J/125 sailing yacht that was used in the filming of Top Gun: Maverick.

The J/125 sailing yacht is a state-of-the-art vessel that was used in the filming of the 2020 movie Top Gun: Maverick. The yacht, which businessman John Pompa owns, was featured in a key scene in the film where it is seen sailing past the Golden Gate Bridge.  

The J/125 is a high-performance sailing yacht that is designed for long-distance cruising. It is equipped with a variety of features that make it ideal for sailing in rough conditions, such as a keel-stepped mast and a carbon fiber hull. The yacht also has a large onboard water tank that allows it to go for long periods of time without having to stop for fresh water.

How the J/125 yacht helped make the scene of Top Gun: Maverik so memorable.

In the film Top Gun: Maverick, the J/125 yacht plays a pivotal role in the iconic beach scene with Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connolly. The yacht, which is owned by Connolly's character, is central to the scene in which Cruise's character meets Connolly's.

The J/125 is a popular yacht among filmmakers due to its sleek design and its ability to turn on a dime. This makes it perfect for action scenes like the one in Top Gun: Maverick.

But the J/125 isn't just a pretty face. It's also a highly functional yacht that can accommodate several guests. This makes it perfect for entertaining.

Why the J/125 yacht is the perfect choice for a sailing adventure?

The J/125 yacht is the perfect choice for those looking for an exceptional sailing experience. This amazing yacht offers superb performance, unmatched comfort, and stunning good looks. Here are just a few of the reasons why the J/125 is the ideal choice for your next sailing adventure.

The J/125's extraordinary stability index of 143 degrees, with a stability curve ratio of positive to negative areas of 12.5:1, is what creates a sense of solidity and power when sailing it. This greater stability is paired with a balanced hull-form that has the right amount of reserve buoyancy forward. This makes the J/125 capable of safer and more controllable high-speed planing offshore in large waves. Also, the average helmsperson can maintain peak performance for sustained periods of time because the hull-form provides a wider steering groove upwind.

The J/125 is manufactured to ABS offshore standards by TPI Composites using the SCRIMP resin-infusion process. The US Naval Surface Warfare Center at Carderock, MD found that the properties of laminates created by TPI's patented SCRIMP resin-infusion process are better than the low-energy pre-pregs used by many custom boat shops--they're even twice as strong as hand lay-ups.

J/125 weighs in at 2700 pounds, which is 1500-2500 pounds lighter than its competitor designs, after subtracting the weight of the keel and adding 1000 pounds for the rig, engine, and hardware. This is not only due to the J/125's narrower beam. The Hull & Deck Laminate Design of the J/125 is stronger for its weight than E-Glass/epoxy laminates using slit CoreCell foam. J/125 uses epoxy with a combination Kevlar & E-Glass for the outer skin with two layers of carbon fiber (bi-axial & unidirectional) for the inner skin. The elevated strength of these exotic materials allows for a thinner, lighter skin than the equivalent E-Glass structure.

It's no surprise that the scene was filmed on a J/125 sailing yacht, as the J/Boats shipyard is known for its high-performance racing yachts. The J/125 is a popular model among racing sailors and has been featured in several major films and TV shows. In fact, the J/125 was also used in the film The World's End, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The J/125 is the perfect boat for cruising or racing, and it's no wonder that it was chosen for the Top Gun: Maverick film.

If you're looking for a high-performance sailing yacht, the J/125 is a perfect choice. Whether you're interested in racing or cruising, the J/125 will provide you with an amazing experience.

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And the Oscar goes to ‘Top Gun’... for six minutes of sailing

There is a scene in “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1986 movie that made Tom Cruise a top gun at the box office, that is a thrilling depiction of humans speeding through the glories of the universe. Actually, there are many scenes like that in this marvelously photographed film. Most of them show aircraft streaking through the gorgeous blue yonder, but the one I’m referring to features a sailboat.

Tom Cruise goes sailing with his girlfriend Penny and he is, literally, out of his element. Viewers are meant to see the irony of the guy who is a fearless fighter jock in the sky cowering in the cockpit of a sailboat moving on the water at less than 2% of Mach 1 with a woman at the helm reveling in the breezy conditions.

The setting gives Cruise the opportunity to speak the best line in the film: “I don’t sail boats, Penny, I land on them.”

The scene is fine as part of the story, but where it turns into great stuff is in the photography. Someone behind the cameras must have been a sailor, because he or she got everything right. It was shot on San Francisco Bay and the Bay was fully in character with wind in the upper teens producing a steep chop. The sails are trimmed just right, the boat is lively and fast and throwing spray. The woman driving the boat with a big carbon fiber wheel is in control and in the moment with a look of pure joy.

Then she sets the spinnaker. It’s another opportunity for Cruise to act nervous, but it’s also terrific sailing footage with the boat accelerating when the big blue kite fills, sort of in the nature of a fighter aircraft being slingshotted off a carrier deck.

The boat plays its part perfectly. It’s a J/125 named Rufless borrowed from the owner for the movie. The 41-footer carries a monster asymmetrical spinnaker set on its long sprit and typically gives a thrilling ride in conditions like those in the film.

I rate the six minutes of sailing footage in “Top Gun” as best sailing scene ever in a Hollywood movie. I realize the bar is low, but this film cleared it with airspace to spare.

Cruise’s performance got me wondering how many movie stars are sailors. He makes no claim to be, nor, surprisingly, does Jennifer Connelly, the actress who looks so skilled as the sailboat skipper in the movie. Telling an interviewer the scene made her “paranoid,” she added, “It was incredibly windy, with big waves. The boat was at an impossible angle, moving so fast.” Maybe there was a sailing instructor hiding below on the J/125 giving hand signals to the helmsperson.

I don’t have any inside info on the off-screen pastimes of movie stars, but I do know that the actor Morgan Freeman is an experienced sailor who has frequently been spotted on his Shannon 43 in the BVI and the Leeward Islands.

It’s well known, of course, that Jimmy Buffett is a sailor, and if you stretch the definition of movie star a bit he might qualify—he’s had a few cameo film roles. His latest boat, an innovative, high-performance 50-foot cruising boat painted turquoise, had the honor of being featured on the cover of SAILING .

After that, we have to search film and sailing history for a legitimate movie star sailor, and there we find Humphrey Bogart, who was probably the most dedicated and skilled sailing yachtsman of any celebrity.

Bogart owned the 55-foot Santana , an Olin Stephens-designed schooner that was built for an oil magnate and was one of the great yachts of its era. After Bogart bought Santana in 1939, sailing the beautiful mahogany-planked boat with its enormous spread of sail became his passion. His son Stephen Bogart wrote, “While most people know that Bogie and Lauren Bacall had a great love affair, probably fewer know about my father’s other great love—sailing. Specifically, it was with his 55-foot sailing yacht Santana . The sea was my father’s sanctuary.”

Bogart spent a lot of time on the water, cruising along the California coast and even racing. He sailed Santana in the 1948 Ensenada race (with Lauren Bacall in the crew) and won a trophy. His frequent daysailing outings on Santana often had an all-star guest list featuring the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, David Niven and Richard Burton.

Santana , rigged as both a schooner and a yawl, has had nine owners since Bogart, and after an extensive rebuild in 2016 is still gracing southern California waters with its classical beauty.

The man I nominate as the best pure sailor among famed movie actors once sailed with Bogart on Santana . Surely, he was the most experienced hand onboard. That was Sterling Hayden.

Hayden went to sea as a teenager in the Great Depression and stayed eight years as a deckhand on full-rigged ships and mate on Grand Banks schooners. He was the navigator on the schooner Gertrude L. Thebaud in its epic race against the famous Bluenose for the 1938 Fisherman’s Cup.

When only 22 years old, he sailed as captain on a 89-foot brigantine on a delivery to the South Pacific. Newspaper stories about the voyage and photos of the handsome sailor got the attention of movie producers. Soon he was making movies and making trouble as a typical Hollywood bad boy. 

Abruptly, apparently fed up with his self-indulgent life, he quit the movies and bummed around long enough to become divorced and broke. Then his story gets really interesting.

He had long owned an old 95-foot pilot schooner named Wanderer , and in 1959 he sailed away in the brawny 100-ton vessel, bound for Tahiti with his four children and a motley crew acquired through newspaper ads. The voyage resulted in a book titled Wanderer . It’s an autobiography that is an adventure to read as it whirls through the adventures and misadventures of a troubled life overflowing with action and incident—and lots of sailing.

Of contemporary movie stars, there is one I am certain is not a sailor. That’s Robert Redford, who if he knew anything about sailing could not in good conscience have allowed himself to act in the movie “All is Lost.” The film tells the desultory story of a lone sailor (Redford is the only actor and the few words he speaks are to himself) who sails his 39-foot sailboat under a perpetual cloud that rains a steady drip of misfortune and finally combines with the sailor’s ineptitude to make a fitting closing scene: Redford’s character escapes his sinking yacht in a life raft and promptly manages to set the raft on fire

To fellow sufferers who sat through the 106 minutes of that dead fish of a sailing movie, I recommend those six sailing minutes in “Top Gun” as the perfect tonic.

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Top Gun: Maverick Director Explains The Extreme Scene That The Navy Pilot Flying Tom Cruise Said He'd Never Do Again

You know it's intense when the pilot won't do it again.

Top Gun : Maverick has been the most successful film on the 2022 movie schedule so far, as it brought tons of viewers into the movie theater to witness the spectacle of high-flying planes and death-defying action. While Cruise is known for, and does, most of his stunts, there was one scene in Maverick where a Navy pilot flew the track for him. When they finished filming the pilot said he never wanted to do it again. 

Joseph Kosinski explained to Empire that the most extreme scene they shot in the movie was Maverick’s speedy flight through the mountains during training. The pilots have to get through a low and curvy path really fast. To prove it’s possible Maverick ends up flying the course. It was agreed early on that these flights would be practical, and everything we see on screen came from “practical aviation assets flying in front of a lens,” as the aerial coordinator Kevin LaRosa Jr. said. So, for this scene, real-life Navy pilot Frank “Walleye” Weisser flew the course with Cruise in the backseat. He elaborated on the technical difficulty of the sequence saying: 

That was the most extreme thing we shot in the film, just in terms of the practicality of what you’re actually seeing on screen. It’s all in-camera, it’s Tom Cruise at 550 knots, going 30 feet above ground through the Toiyabe [Canyon] low-level training grounds. That’s a real Top Gun training thing, but they never fly as low as he does. After they landed, Walleye came up to me and said, ‘Did you get it?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think we did.’ He said, ‘Good, because I’m never doing that again.’

In other words, they were flying low and fast, and in a way that is never actually done in real Navy training. So, it makes sense the pilot didn’t want to do it again, it sounds like it was a massive and dangerous challenge both physically and mentally. Meanwhile, Kosinski explained that Cruise was having the time of his life, saying: 

He would have done it 100 more times! In fact, I smile because when I watch that sequence, he’s wincing through the Gs, but I know under the mask he’s smiling for most of it, because he’s having the time of his life.

Cruise is definitely committed to the art of great action movies. In the Mission Impossible movies, he’s hung onto the outside of an airplane taking off, jumped from roof to roof, and much more, each time upping the ante. So, it makes sense that in the long-awaited Top Gun sequel Cruise had a blast creating these incredible scenes.

While there are moments in the film that defy the laws of physics , a lot of it was practical. Many of the stars have spoken about training for and filming the scenes up in the air. Danny Ramirez explained how insane it was to film in the air, saying they had to wear multiple hats from acting to helping run the cameras in the airplane. Plus, with Cruise leading the cast, the bar was set high for everyone when it came to training and the filming of the jaw-dropping action. 

While dangerous, the payoff of these scenes was incredible. They really pulled off an amazing feat with this movie, and it’s wild that the action was so intense even a Navy pilot didn’t want to fly certain sequences again. 

You can watch all this action in Top Gun: Maverick which is out on demand. Plus, make sure to stay tuned to the 2023 movie schedule to watch more of Cruise's death-defying action in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part One . 

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Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows  Ted Lasso  and  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to  Fire Country , and she's enjoyed every second of it.

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VIDEO: Top Gun: Maverick sailboat scene

Published on May 26th, 2022 by Editor -->

As Scuttlebutt HQ is located in San Diego, CA, this is very much a military town which proved to be a good backdrop for filming the Top Gun movie released in 1986. But the local locations weren’t limited to just the Navy bases for that movie, which is also the case for the sequel Top Gun: Maverick that gets released on May 27, 2022.

However, when they sought out San Diego Bay to film an action scene, nobody told them about the region’s light winds. “We filmed that sequence twice. We filmed it the first time in San Diego, and it was very beautiful,” describes actress Jennifer Connelly. “We got lovely shots, and there were even dolphins swimming alongside us. But Tom (Cruise) said, ‘No, this isn’t fast enough’.”

For the second attempt, somebody did their research and they went to San Francisco where Connelly and Cruise get a real taste of high wind sailing on a J/125.

“It was a very distracting environment,” said Connelly. “It was incredibly windy, with big waves. The boat was at an impossible angle, moving so fast, and we had to play the scene at the same time. I was so paranoid that I was going to forget something with all those distractions. I found myself standing on the coffee table in my living room, practicing with my kids spraying water at me and blowing on me while I ran my lines.”

Connelly shared the story on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and while Cruise is known for doing his own movie stunts, Connelly was pretty stoked to have taken on the role of a sailor. “I love it, it was great, it was amazing,” she said of the experience. “I was taking lessons to prepare for the role, starting in the New York harbor. Kind of like learning how to drive on the Autobahn.”

Tags: Jennifer Connelly , sailing movie , Top Gun

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Top Gun: Maverick's Jennifer Connelly On Learning To Sail, Flying With Tom Cruise And More - Exclusive Interview

If Jennifer Connelly 's character in "Top Gun: Maverick" could have a callsign, it might well be "Phantom."

Connelly plays Penny Benjamin, who was referenced but never seen in the original "Top Gun" as the "admiral's daughter" with whom Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) spent some sexy time. Flash forward 36 years, and Penny now appears in the flesh in "Top Gun: Maverick." It seems her relationship with Maverick has waxed and waned over the years even as she built an independent life of her own, became the owner of the local watering hole (The Hard Deck) and, in contrast to almost everyone who hangs out in her bar, learned to sail instead of fly.

The actor joins the "Top Gun" universe while continuing a career that began in 1984 with the crime epic "Once Upon a Time in America" and has included films such as "The Rocketeer," "Career Opportunities," "Requiem for a Dream," "Hulk," and "A Beautiful Mind," the latter of which landed her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . More recently, she appeared in "Only the Brave" (for "Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski) and has spent three seasons as one of the stars of the sci-fi series "Snowpiercer."

Connelly tells us that she thinks the time is right for the world to revisit the lives of Maverick and the rest of the elite "Top Gun" pilots. "It's a spectacle of a movie," she says, "but it has a lot of heart, and it really delivers."

Who is Penny Benjamin?

Your character is mentioned in the first film.

She sure is.

Tell us a little bit about Penny .

She's Penny Benjamin, and clearly, in the original, Pete had been dating her. They've been in an on-and-off relationship all these years and have a lot of history. Then, he walks into her bar yet again, and they come back into each other's lives. I love the way she reacts to him and handles that unfinished business that they clearly have with so much playfulness and a little bit of mischief.

This is not a tortured relationship .

Not at all. She is someone who really wants to be happy and makes choices that move her in that direction. She looks out for herself. She's independent and strong, and she really adores Pete, but she knows him too, and she knows how to set her boundaries.

Jennifer Connelly learned to sail for a movie about flying

The sailing scenes are absolutely incredible. Did you have to go through training for that?

I did. I took sailing lessons, which was really fun and sometimes terrifying, because I live in New York City. I was taking lessons in New York Harbor, which is really insane. There's so many ferries and police boats and, believe it or not, kayakers and jet skiers in New York Harbor. Who knew? There's a lot of traffic, so that was pretty funny.

You also got to go up in planes .

I got to go up in Tom's plane, his P51, with him piloting , which was pretty extraordinary.

Would you have gone through the training if they'd asked you?

Yeah, I would have. I wasn't sorry that I wasn't one of the pilots, but I would have done it.

We do have to mention that you actually got to watch the beach scene .

I sure did. It was great. It was so important that they revisited that scene, because it's such an iconic moment in the original movie. They did a great job with this version.

Why the time is right for more Top Gun

Speaking of the original film, what sort of impact did that have on you?

The flying blew me away when I saw that. Tom Cruise is an amazing movie star. He was so charismatic as that rebellious Maverick. He made a huge impact as well.

He's very hands-on with his movies. Was there a good balance between Joe directing and Tom providing his input?

It definitely felt like a collaboration. Tom's also producing the movie with Jerry, who was part of the original movie. There was a team working on it, working together.

This was filmed in 2018 and 2019. How does it feel to finally have this movie come out?

It's great. Actually, it feels like such a great moment for it now. I know I'm so ready to be having a collective experience again. I feel like this is a celebratory movie. It's a spectacle of a movie, but it has a lot of heart, and it really delivers. If you want to go out and have an experience in a big theater with a group of people, it's so deeply satisfying.

So see this on the biggest screen that you can?

I think so. Absolutely.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is out in theaters this Friday, May 27.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Star Jennifer Connelly on Love Scenes With Tom Cruise and Learning to Tend Bar

By Matt Donnelly

Matt Donnelly

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Despite the optics of shirtless volleyball games and locker room sparring, you can’t make a “Top Gun” movie without a strong and emotionally centered woman. For “ Top Gun: Maverick ,” a sequel 36 years in the making, the successor to the original film’s Kelly McGillis is Jennifer Connelly . She plays Penny Benjamin, a character referenced in the first film, and love interest to Tom Cruise ’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Playing a single mom who owns an Air Force watering hole, Connelly brings new dimensions to an ’80s classic.

It’s hard to believe you haven’t worked with Tom Cruise before.

I had never even met Tom Cruise before. He’s so exceptional. Spending time with him, you understand how someone has been such a movie star for so many years. It was clear to me what the franchise means to him, so I felt beholden to him, [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer and the audiences who love the film so much.

Your character isn’t active military. Does that mean you were spared the grittier action scenes?

I have a sailing scene, and it was a very distracting environment. We were on a boat shooting up in San Francisco; it was incredibly windy, with big waves. The boat was at an impossible angle, moving so fast, and we had to play the scene at the same time. I was so paranoid that I was going to forget something with all those distractions. I found myself standing on the coffee table in my living room, practicing with my kids spraying water at me and blowing on me while I ran my lines. I have video of it.

You have a love scene in this, which is not something we see often from Cruise at this stage in his career.

We focused on the intimacy of how they fit into each other’s lives. I think those characters have a really tender relationship, the way she understands him. They share a moment in bed chatting, and it tells as much about their relationship as the scene that is the preamble to that. Clearly, they have some unresolved business between them, and she navigates that with humor and playfulness. I feel like she’s someone who is positive and is moving toward happiness.

Did you go Method for this? Were you on set making drinks?

We had a working beer tap on set, and I spent a lot of time pouring. I practiced a lot because I thought that would be a terrible giveaway if I couldn’t do it properly.

If you had a “Top Gun” pilot nickname, what would it be?

I do have a nickname, but from way back when I was in college. I run, but casually. I thought, “I’d love to be on a team, but I don’t play sports.” I am really stubborn and determined, so I thought maybe I could will myself to run really fast. In retrospect, I was more of a mascot. I never competed, and I was the slowest on the team. My nickname on the roster was Death Grip.

Similar to “Top Gun,” a lot of the work you’ve done has cultural staying power, like “Labyrinth.”

Yes, wow. I was 14 when I made that movie. I attribute that staying power so much to Jim Henson — those exquisite, huge practical sets. It was a wonderland. And, of course, David Bowie. So all of those elements: amazing sets, puppets and Bowie.

Things you didn’t know about Jennifer Connelly

Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Head of class: Attended Yale and Stanford universities, studying English literature and drama, respectively.

Man on the street: The movie most people approach Connelly about is not her David Bowie romp “Labyrinth” or the awards player “Little Children” from Todd Field. “‘Requiem for a Dream’ is a big one,” she says. “That movie had a profound impact on people.”

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10 Behind-the-Scenes Facts You Might Not Know About ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

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“It’s not the plane, it’s the pilot.” When Miles Teller’s Rooster spits out that gem of a line toward the end of “Top Gun: Maverick,” the second-in-command action star certainly isn’t talking about Hollywood awards season. And yet, it’s an apt metaphor for the blockbuster Best Picture nominee and its spectacular ascent to Sunday’s Oscars.

A sequel to one of cinema’s most iconic fighter pilot movies was always flyable as a business idea: the metaphoric plane, if you will. But after the death of original “Top Gun” director Tony Scott — who passed in 2012 with his own unrealized vision of a follow-up in the works — recruiting the right people to pilot the tentpole for Paramount Pictures grew complicated. Not only did eventual director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer face the uphill battle of evolving a beloved property, but they also had to convince Cruise to come back as Maverick.

“We wanted to bring out a movie purely designed as entertainment,” said Bruckheimer in an interview with IndieWire . “It’s what I’ve been doing my whole career. Tom Cruise felt the same way: when entertaining audiences you hope to get the best story, characters, and scenes, and the best people behind and in front of the camera.”

As producer-star, Cruise was an essential linchpin from beginning to end: even vehemently advocating for a theatrical release when “Top Gun: Maverick” almost got relegated to Paramount+ . He’s not up for Best Actor this year, but Cruise could help collect the statuette for Best Picture should the fan-favorite win over “Avatar 2” and the category’s more traditional fare.

The crowd-pleasing sequel also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song (Lady Gaga and BloodPop’s “Hold My Hand”), Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. It won big at the box office too, with “The Fabelmans” director Steven Spielberg even quipping that it “saved Hollywood’s ass” at an Academy Awards luncheon in February.

It’s not the plane, it’s the pilot. Here are 10 behind-the-scenes facts to know about Best Picture contender “Top Gun: Maverick” before the 95th Academy Awards.

Check out 10 behind-the-scenes facts you might not know about “The Fabelmans” next.

The Flight Scenes Were Shot Around Real Navy Operations

To get A-lister/notorious daredevil Cruise onboard, Kosinski agreed to shoot “Top Gun: Maverick” using real jets. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda discussed the aerodynamic challenges of “Top Gun: Maverick” with IndieWire, and said, “Since my Navy technical guys had all seen the original ‘Top Gun,’ they got behind the idea of pulling out a lot of gear. We ended up fitting six cameras in the cockpit, including one that had about two-and-a-half inches clearance.”

During pre-production, Miranda and a small crew joined the USS Abraham Lincoln on a training mission. They captured jet take-offs and landings, as well as the flight deck and other ship details. Miranda consulted extensively with original “Top Gun” cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball to better understand the obstacles facing him aboard an aircraft carrier. 

“Kimball had issues where he couldn’t turn his carrier around,” Miranda explained. “I found the right people to talk to, and they would just spin the boat around for me. It doesn’t cost them anything. To be super clear, we were shooting around their missions — they weren’t launching jets for us. And I couldn’t aim towards the sun. But we could turn it this way or that way to get our shots.”

Shooting High-Speed Jets Required Predicting Weather Up to 50 Miles Away

Not only did Miranda have to account for Navy scheduling and the extreme physics of flight, but he also had to contend with changing coastal weather. To get those flight sequences, Miranda had to set his camera exposures before takeoff, and hope they’d prove the right choice in the air.

“I had to guess what the weather was 50 miles down the road,” he said. “I would look to the east where they were flying and see some clouds and maybe open up a third. Then wait, hold on, they’re going away. Or are the jets going 50 feet down into a canyon? Then go with this exposure. I have to say, I didn’t miss.”

Miranda also needed three days to capture the shot of Maverick on his motorcycle, racing down the runway, because it was “too overcast.” 

“We got one in the can,” the Academy Award winner said. “But we decided to go back. It had to be at a certain time of day so the jet crosses right through the sun.”

Another scene, in which Penny and Maverick go sailing, presented problems too when there wasn’t enough wind. Two attempts were made in San Diego and San Pedro, before the final version was captured in San Francisco.

“I was just sitting on the boat rocking with Tom,” Miranda laughed of the failed shoots. “The third time in San Francisco was great. I had one camera on the side of the boat in the front, I operated another camera on the boat next to them, and we had a helicopter as well… I was operating, and [Kosinski] was hanging onto the seat. It was a pretty massive day. We blew a spinnaker. We flooded the Libra head. We had the camera department running out panicking.”

The Darkstar Flyover Scene Was Shot Just Once and Destroyed a Set

In the scene where Maverick reaches Mach 10 in the Darkstar, he flies over Ed Harris’ Hammer right as he’s pulling up to the base gate. As the jet takes off, you can see the roof fly off the guard station: a perfect middle-finger moment that wasn’t planned. The stunt destroyed the set, and the only take Kosinski got is the one used in the film. 

“That’s kind of the entire point of what we did,” VFX production designer Ryan Tudhope told IndieWire of the film’s largely practical approach. “If you look at the other pathway, with probably a group of really talented visual effects designers, who are creating all of the shots in the computer, it ends up lacking a little bit of the happy accidents because it’s overly designed.”

He continued, “There’s all kinds of pitfalls to going down that methodology. Whereas by the very nature of having a real pilot in a real jet being filmed by another real pilot and a real camera operator and another real jet…you end up with these beautiful imperfections.”

Val Kilmer Had the Idea for Iceman to Share His Illness

Val Kilmer’s Iceman is an intrinsic and unforgettable part of the original “Top Gun,” and a sequel wouldn’t have been the same without him. Kilmer has battled complications from throat cancer for some time, and it was the actor’s idea to have the character share his illness onscreen. An AI-generated voice was used for his dialogue, and was fed hours of old footage of Kilmer to capture his tone and speaking cadence.

“Obviously, the idea of Iceman being an important part of Maverick’s journey was something we all wanted, but didn’t know what Val’s health struggles were,” Kosinski told IndieWire. “This was five years ago, so this was before the documentary [‘Val’]. ”

Kosinski explained, “[Producer] Jerry [Bruckheimer] and I met with Val. He came over to Jerry’s office and we sat down with him and just told him of our desire to figure out a way to get Iceman into the film. It was Val who came up with the idea that Iceman was sick too, so he could integrate into the story in a way that felt authentic and not something that we were trying to hide. And then this notion of Iceman being a guardian angel for Maverick, from the moment they have that handshake at the end of the first film, this idea that Iceman would rise through the ranks as the ideal Navy officer, which he was.”

Tom Cruise Regularly Consulted on Sound

Doubling as producer and star, Cruise consulted heavily across “Top Gun: Maverick” but spent extra time sharing his insights on the mixing stage. Supervising sound editor James Mather, who also works with Cruise on the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, told IndieWire that the actor’s lived stunt experience played a critical role in shaping how they layered the sounds pilots hear — from their own breath to the clicking of joystick manipulation — with explosive jet engine booms.

“On this one, in particular, it was such a personal project for him,” said Mather. “The responsibility and the pressure, I guess, for the success of it was pretty heavy on his shoulders. And I think he came to see us every other day. He’d be training in the day doing jumps and motorbike stunts for ‘Mission: Impossible,’ and then he’d come and sit with us [to edit ‘Top Gun: Maverick’]. He can use his memory of what it was like in [the cockpit], and so there are probably certain nuances, sounds that for him were important that maybe he wants to focus on. When he hears or feels the sound, depending on the volume of it, he has to trigger the same response that reminds him of that experience at the time.”

There Were Multiple Versions of the Beginning and Ending

Though the flight sequences were undeniably challenging, both Kosinski and Miranda told IndieWire another proved more difficult to get. The opening scene in Penny’s bar was filmed twice to establish a stronger relationship between Cruise and Jennifer Connelly’s characters. 

“[Joseph Kosinski] wanted a little bit more history between Penny and Maverick,” Miranda explained. “I wasn’t happy about my lighting on the first one. Instead of a bar packed with extras, for the second we could take people away. That let me use a little more side light and move it differently.” 

The ending was shot multiple times as well. In the final version, Maverick returns to his desert hangar and is joined by Rooster, Penny, and Amelia. 

“I actually shot a version where Phoenix was there too, and Phoenix is talking to Amelia about airplanes, and they’re looking at plane models and having this nice moment together,” Kosinski told IndieWire . “We had versions where Hondo [Bashir Salahuddin] was there, so it was more like a big family. At the end, we narrowed it down to just Rooster and Amelia.”

He continued, “At first, Maverick goes to the bar and Penny’s [Connolly] not there, which was a scene we played with both in and out [of the film]. I’m so glad we put it in, because it’s a great way to reveal Penny at the end of the film with Maverick. It just felt like the right ending. We open the film in the hangar and Maverick is alone, and we end with him in the hangar and he’s surrounded by family, a new family. That’s the journey we wanted to take Maverick on.”

Glen Powell Injured Himself Playing Football

Asked about his most memorable day on-set at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Kosinski told IndieWire , “One that I get asked about a lot, which was a very memorable day, was when we shot the beach football scene,” Kosinski said. The fan-favorite scene is an homage to the original’s campy beach volleyball sequence. 

“The actors were in a very kind of stressed out state, they’d all been working so hard to get ready for that scene,” he continued. “They were under pressure, the weight of the original scene being so iconic. I remember Glen went out 110 percent on the first play and hurt himself, but he was able to recover quickly and we were able to get a great version of it.”

The football scene was also reportedly shot twice at Cruise’s insistence. Powell was also in the running for Rooster (Miles Teller’s part), before getting cast as cocky fighter pilot, Hangman.

Miles Teller Got Sick from Jet Fuel in His Bloodstream

“Top Gun: Maverick” was so intense to shoot that Glen Powell told IndieWire he left out certain details about his training and filming out when talking to his mom. But it was Miles Teller’s family who were given serious reason to worry when the film’s second-lead suffered from blood poisoning after a flight. 

“We landed, and I thought, ‘Man, I’m not feeling too good,’” Teller revealed on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in June 2022. “I was really hot and I just started itching like crazy. So I got out of the jet. I’m just covered in hives. Head to toe. I go to a doctor. I do a blood analysis. I’m in an oatmeal bath that night. I have sensitive skin anyway, truth be told, Irish-Scottish skin. No dyes, no nothing.”

Teller continued, “I go to set the next day and Tom‘s like, ‘How did it go Miles? What did they find?’” Teller continued. “I was like, ‘Well, Tom, it turns out I have jet fuel in my blood.’ And without even skipping a beat Tom goes ‘Yeah, I was born with it, kid. So that was a very Tom moment for me.”

Joseph Kosinski Claims the Unnamed Enemy to the U.S. Was… Canada?

“The answer is it’s Canada,” Kosinski joked with IndieWire, when asked about the film’s unnamed foreign adversary. “We didn’t want to make this a movie about geopolitics. It’s a competition film. It’s a film about friendship, about sacrifice. It’s a rite-of-passage story. It’s all those things. It’s not a movie about the current state of world events which, by the way, have changed so much from when we made the film. If we had even decided [a country when we made it], it probably would’ve been outdated. The idea was always to make the enemy faceless and nameless.”

The director continued, “That’s why in designing this third act, I put it in a world that was not identifiable as, I think, any of the places people are guessing. I liked the idea of putting it in a snowy region, so we shot it in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state to also invert the ‘Top Gun’ aesthetic, to get away from the San Diego sunsets and flip it on its head. To me, that was an exciting way to really change the feeling of the film and make it feel like we were somewhere far away. I know people look at the F-14 [enemy fighter jets] or the fifth-generation fighter jets or the landscape and try to piece it together, but it really is nowhere.”

Test Audiences Didn’t Have to See “Top Gun” to Love Its Sequel

In the same interview with IndieWire , Kosinski said he was relieved to learn audiences unfamiliar with the 1986 original were as onboard with its decades-in-the-making sequel as longterm fans. 

“We did a little bit of audience testing,” he said. “What was a surprise to us was, whether or not you had seen the first film, people were rating the film exactly the same. There was no difference between ‘Top Gun’ fans and non-‘Top Gun’ fans. I could have never anticipated that, but I do think people could potentially get more out of it if they’ve seen the first film.”

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Top Sailing – Top Gun: Maverick

Being a lady of a certain age it didn’t take me long to book tickets for the sequel to Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick . I grew up in the 1980’s along with permed hair, leg warmers and Tom Cruise, so a Top Gun trip back in time was always going to be on the cards.

Cruise reprises his role as ace top gun Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and that’s about as much as I’m going to tell you about the plot. Cruise does not disappoint and the film has everything the original had, and more, in spades. Fast jets, fast bikes, fast yachts (J/125), an absurd plot involving uranium (a hallmark of most 1980’s action films), leather biker jacket with patches, adrenaline and romance all wrapped up in a cinematic marvel. With cinemas in the UK lurching along since lockdown, we needed a blockbuster to burst onto our screens. Kosinski, Bruckheimer, Cruise et al have achieved this in supersonic style.

Even the sailing scene doesn’t pull any punches with some top sailing. Jennifer Connelly is at the helm of a beautiful J/125, guard rails in the water.  It will quicken the hearts of many sailors watching (the J/125 that is, sorry Jennifer!).  As with most sailing scene’s on the big screen they don’t get it quite right, but I’ll forgive them, the footage is realistic enough even if the skipper’s instructions do seem a little strange.  Seeing Maverick out of his comfort zone on the water provides some comedy gold moments and provides some light relief from the high octane jet fighter sequences. Rumour has it the sailing scene had to be filmed twice. The first time the crew chose San Diego Bay as their backdrop but with light winds common in the bay it was producing too many dolphins and not enough action. A switch to San Francisco provided the more challenging conditions required to satiate Cruise’s need for speed.

Better than the original I would most wholeheartedly recommend Top Gun: Maverick, you’ll leave the cinema/movie theater grinning from ear to ear and wondering whether your finances (and nerve) will run to a vintage Kawasaki GPZ 900!

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14 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Top Gun: Maverick' That Take Us To The Danger Zone

Filled with heart-wrenching moments, top notch drama, and  very  fast fighter jets,  Top Gun: Maverick  is still obsession-worthy almost two years later. If the film itself isn’t enough , there are so many interviews describing behind-the-scenes moments that prove this isn't something that’s one-and-done and will immediately go out of style. These anecdotes show the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this movie, which will ensure it's beloved for years to come.

So, whether viewers have seen this once or are rewatching it for the hundredth time, it’s guaranteed that there is at least one story below that will offer deeper appreciation for the hotshot pilots and all the hard work that happened to make this sequel come to life.

Val Kilmer Came Up With Iceman's Storyline

Top Gun , as good as it was, would not have been the same with Val Kilmer’s character, Iceman. As the original cool, cocky pilot (sorry, Hangman), Iceman served as the perfect foil to Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Despite their conflict, the pair developed so much mutual respect and forged such a great friendship, it would be a pity not to show it again.

Thankfully, all the creators involved wanted Kilmer to come back and be involved with the sequel, which he was. But this time, he got to create his storyline, which features Iceman living with terminal throat cancer , like Kilmer himself in real life. When asked about Kilmer's additions, Joseph Kosinski said:

It was [Kilmer's] idea to make it feel as authentic as possible. Once he had that idea, it opened up that whole storyline and just allowed us to tell this story in a better way. I was blown away when he offered that up.

The director added that despite the heavy nature of the storyline, Kilmer still had fun reuniting with Cruise on set:

The scene was intense and very emotional, but when the camera wasn't running, hearing him and Tom talk about the hijinks of making the first film and how much fun they had and the tricks they were pulling on each other, and just the craziness of that time and that era, was really fun to listen in on. You really felt that connective tissue to the past.

Miles Teller Actually Got Jet Fuel Poisoning

Training for Top Gun: Maverick was no joke, but the cast had to endure all the physical challenging aspects so that the film could be as realistic as possible. The flight preparation was actually so intense that Glenn Powell left out the gnarly details when talking to his mom. Still, it seems like Miles Teller got the worst of it when he exited one flight to find himself covered in hives. He went to the doctor and learned he had blood poisoning from jet fuel entering his bloodstream.

Shockingly, Tom Cruise was not concerned when he heard about the diagnosis. As Teller recounted the interaction,

I go to set the next day and Tom's like, ‘How did it go Miles? What did they find?’ I was like, ‘Well, Tom, it turns out I have jet fuel in my blood.’ And without even skipping a beat Tom goes ‘Yeah, I was born with it, kid.' So that was a very Tom moment for me.

Tom Cruise Insisted The Actors Be Filmed While Actually Flying Jets

A huge part of the appeal of  Top Gun: Maverick  is in its authenticity. It feels loud, powerful, and real while it's playing, but what makes it even better is realizing it was able to induce those feelings because everything  was   real - specifically, the flying sequences - and it's largely thanks to Tom Cruise.

The main rule that Cruise had while filming the sequel was that the scenes taking place in aircraft had to be done authentically. This is not simple to achieve, but with a dedicated cast and crew, the the team make it work and produced a movie that's totally unforgettable, even almost two years later. 

On filming the flight scenes, aerial stunt coordinator Kevin LaRosa II said:

Our cast had to be in the aircraft for every shot. So when they're delivering those epic performances, they are really in there pulling those Gs. Production went to great lengths to design that in-cockpit IMAX camera set up so those actors could be in there, doing that.

The Scene On Penny's Boat Was Completely Reshot To Have Maverick Out Of His Element

Just like Maverick shows Penny part of his world in the air, she gets a chance to do the same when she takes him out on her boat. The dreamy scene was actually shot twice, because the first take was too tame, not matching the edginess of the rest of the film.

Recounting the reasoning for the redo, Jennifer Connelly said :

We shot it for the first time in San Diego, and the weather was so calm. It was very tranquil, actually. We had a lovely day. I think we saw dolphins, actually. The boat wasn’t moving that fast, but it was a beautiful day out on the water. And then a decision was made that it wasn’t exhilarating enough and that it would be fun to see Penny taking charge of a boat that was moving at a good clip and had a little more athletic sailing. So we went up to San Francisco where we'd have more reliable wind and shot that again. So that was definitely an exhilarating experience.

Tom Cruise And Monica Barbaro Were The Only Two Of The Cast Who Didn't Throw Up In Training

Tom Cruise proved that filming the first  Top Gun  wasn't for the weak. Out of all the actors that had to fly F-14s, Cruise was the one that was able to take on the challenge, making it look easy while the others threw up from the g-forces.

To ensure history didn't repeat itself with the sequel, Cruise created a months-long process to prepare the young actors for the sequences that involved the F/A-18 jets. Even with training, a lot of them still threw up, except for Monica Barbaro , who plays Phoenix. She was able to handle the g-forces just like Cruise.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer didn't sugarcoat how tough those sequences were on the other actors. He said:

When you see the expressions on their faces - they're not acting. When you see the plane going straight up, they're going straight up. When you see the plane upside down, they're upside down. You can just imagine the physical exertion that every actor went through.

The Darkstar Flyover Was Shot Only Once And Destroyed A Set

As much as certain aspects took very tight control to make this film as great as possible, one of its best moments occurred thanks to an accident while filming. In the scene where Maverick takes off in the Darkstar, audiences can see the roof fly off of the guard station. Even though it was an amazing scene, it was totally a mistake, and actually destroyed the set . This also happened to be the only take that Joseph Kosinski got, so fortunately, it turned out great the first time around.

When asked about it, VFX production designer Ryan Tudhope credited the film's practical approach:

That’s kind of the entire point of what we did. If you look at the other pathway, with probably a group of really talented visual effects designers, who are creating all of the shots in the computer, it ends up lacking a little bit of the happy accidents because it’s overly designed. There's all kinds of pitfalls to going down that methodology. Whereas by the very nature of having a real pilot in a real jet being filmed by another real pilot and a real camera operator and another real jet… you end up with these beautiful imperfections.

Val Kilmer's Voice Was Recreated Through AI

Because Val Kilmer was able to have creative control over Iceman's storyline in  Top Gun: Maverick,  parts of the character's life closely mirrors the actor's: like Kilmer, Iceman is shown to have throat cancer, typing on a keyboard to communicate. The most heartfelt part of Iceman's return, though, is the one line of dialogue Kilmer spoke, which was made possible through AI .

In 2021, Kilmer worked with an AI startup, Sonantic, to create an AI-powered speaking voice for himself. By using archival recordings of him speaking, the company was able to generate a rather convincing imitation of his voice. Kilmer said:

I’m grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a way I've never imagined possible. As human beings, the ability to communicate is the core of our existence and the side effects from throat cancer have made it difficult for others to understand me. The chance to narrate my story, in a voice that feels authentic and familiar, is an incredibly special gift.

Miles Teller Actually Chose His Call Sign

Nick “Goose” Bradshaw’s death in the first  Top Gun  is still heartbreaking decades later. So, the performer taking the role of Goose's son in the sequel had the pressure to live up to his legacy and be the same great person in and out of the cockpit.

Miles Teller took on that pressure graciously, poring over potential call signs for his character until he chose the right one, which seems to have come to him naturally . He said:

Rooster did just kind of come to me. I remember meeting with Joe Kosinski, our director, and [producer Jerry] Bruckheimer, and they went through thousands of call signs.

Rooster, “Great Balls of Fire,” fighter jets - Teller made it all come together perfectly in Goose's honor.

Glenn Powell Originally Viewed Hangman As A 'Navy Draco Malfoy'

Anyone who has seen  Top Gun: Maverick  knows that Glenn Powell's character, Hangman, is one of the coolest pilots out of the bunch, an ode to all the overconfident guys that are featured in 1980s films.

He has charisma, is sly as a fox, and is the perfect villain that contrasts against all the goodness that Rooster and the others provide - until he becomes the hero himself. Back at the start, though, Powell was unimpressed with the role, calling it a “Navy Draco Malfoy,” along with other colorful words. But Tom Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Joseph Kosinski, and writer Christopher McQuarrie encouraged him to keep going with it because he could turn Hangman into a well-rounded, well-crafted character. When asked about the role, Powell said:

[Hangman] was there to add conflict to Rooster's character, which is a good thing, but he wasn’t three-dimensional and he had no pay off. I didn’t know why he existed. It was a leap of faith. In hindsight, I'm like, God, I can't imagine if I missed out on this one, but it wasn't so obvious.

Tom Cruise Used His Own Plane For The Flight With Penny

In real life, Tom Cruise is just obsessed with planes as his character is in  Top Gun . He's held a pilot's license since 1994, and is reported to own at least three jets.

One of Cruise's prized planes is a P-51 Mustang, a fighter-bomber that further confirms his love for everything fast and risky. The beautiful P-51 shines bright during the last sequence of  Top Gun: Maverick , where Cruise and Jennifer Connelly's character, Penny, fly off together into the sunset. Even though it's great to see the couple happy together, the P-51 itself steals the scene.

The Two Hardest Scenes To Film Had Nothing To Do With Flying

One would naturally expect that filming scenes with real fighter jets would be the toughest aspect of creating Top Gun: Maverick . Yet, according to Joseph Kosinski, those sequences weren't the most difficult to capture. The two trickiest were, in fact, the beach football scene, and the bar scene at the beginning where Maverick and Penny reunite. Both required careful choreography and planning to make the team connections come to life and portray the meaning in the character relationships.

When asked about the football scene, Kosinski explained that they had a professional quarterback come in to help out. He said:

Yeah, he was a little confused at first, but once he understood what we were going for and the storytelling of it, he choreographed some plays. For me it was about telling the story, but also it was about just going out and letting the actors have fun, because it was all about team building.

As for the bar scene, Kosinski emphasized the practical complexities.

For sure, the bar scene is as intricate if not more than any action scene. You're introducing all of those people, but you're trying to maintain Maverick's point of [view] throughout it. So all those eyelines, making sure that you're clocking him, watching him observe all these people come together. That was the probably the scene that we spent the most time writing and rewriting, and probably changed the most over the course of the film.

Tom Cruise Pushed The Boundaries Of G-Force On Set

It's no secret that Tom Cruise thrives on everything fast and dangerous. He has insisted on doing his own stunts in a variety of films, and he has an enviable collection of aircraft and some of the fastest cars in the world. In this way, he's not too different from his Top Gun character, Maverick.

This was especially true while filming the sequel. Cruise was extremely dedicated to making the movie the best it could be, and in typical Maverick fashion, went above and beyond in the jet to get the best footage possible . One day, he went for three runs in the jet, when the other actors would feel sick and drained after two within the same day.

Director Joseph Kosinski recalled the day Cruise pushed the limits of what humans can withstand:

You’re pulling 6, 7, 7.5 Gs in the jet, and that’s incredibly draining… One day the weather was so beautiful, Tom came up to me and said, ‘I think I should go three times today.’ He’s like, ‘Joe, when you see this footage, you’re going to be blown away.’ So, Tom went up and shot his third act sequence, which is the big bombing run. He came back, and it was the last debrief of the day. I think all the other pilots had gone back to their trailers, and Tom came in and he collapsed in a chair, and he had his black Ray-Bans on. I said, ‘Tom, how’d you do?’ And he said, ‘We crushed it.’ It was very Maverick/Tom Cruise. Is there a difference?

The Film Was Shot Around Real Navy Operations

Authenticity is a big theme in Top Gun: Maverick , so it's not surprising that part of the crew joined the USS Abraham Lincoln on a training mission to observe real Navy operations. Before production started, cinematographer Claudio Miranda and a small crew were able to capture jet-takeoffs and landings, as well as other details that would help them figure out the complexities of what they were about to shoot.

Miranda sought advice from the original Top Gun cinematographer, Jeffrey L. Kimball, to learn what he was in for on the aircraft carrier. 

Though there were obstacles to getting film shots amid the normal operations, Miranda said he was able to get what he needed:

Kimball had issues where he couldn't turn his carrier around. I found the right people to talk to, and they would just spin the boat around for me. It doesn’t cost them anything. To be super clear, we were shooting around their missions - they weren't launching jets for us. And I couldn't aim towards the sun. But we could turn it this way or that way to get our shots.

Tom Cruise Demanded A Reshoot Of The Beach Scene Because It Wasn't Beefy Enough

With lots of oil, sun, and fun, the beach football sequence in  Top Gun: Maverick  will go down as one of the most classic shirtless scenes in film. Most viewers likely don't know about the strict, regimented routine that kept everyone looking their best for that brief time on screen. The standards were high - so much so that that the first time it was filmed, it wasn't good enough for the star.

It's true: Tom Cruise wasn't satisfied with the first take of the iconic scene because it wasn't up to par with his standards. So, a post-filming celebration with milkshakes and tater tots didn't last long, as the cast had to go back to their strict exercise routines to prepare for going bare-chested again. 

Glenn Powell had a lot to say about the pressure of that scene:

In the days leading up, there was more male insecurity than you’ve ever seen on any set ever. And probably more coconut oil than even on Magic Mike.

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