The director ofTop Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski, has recently revealed which day on the set of the sequel was the most emotionally taxing for him to film. The highly anticipated follow-up to 1986’sTop Gunfeatures Tom Cruise reprising his beloved role as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
Top Gun: Mavericksees Maverick himself being tasked with training a brand-new group of young Top Gun pilots as they prepare for a dangerous mission taking place in enemy territory.Top Gun: Maverickwitnesses Maverick truly learning what it means to be a fearless leader, as he is now being given strict orders from his new commanding officer. Maverick’s new commanding officer is actually his long-time enemy turned friend, Lieutenant Tom “Iceman” Kazansky,portrayed by Val Kilmer. Iceman has since gone on to become an admiral and was a key component to the overall plot of the originalTop Gun, which centred on the rivalry and ongoing sense of competition between Iceman and Maverick. The latest film reveals just how much the pair’s unlikely friendship helped heal Maverick’s more defiant behavior toward the strict rules and regulations that make up the Navy.
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In complete contrast to the dynamic between Iceman andMaverick in the firstTop Gunfilm, the sequel showcases just how much trust has been established between the two now. Maverick now fully looks to Iceman for his expertise and advice. In return, Iceman full-heartedly believes Maverick is the only person capable of ensuring the new group of young pilots will make it out of the mission alive. Now, director Kosinski has revealed just how emotional the reunion between Cruise and Kilmer was on set of the sequel. In a recent interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker described that specific day as “one of the memories I’ll never forget.”
“You’ve got this actor in Val, someone who I admired through his whole career, and having him play one of his most iconic characters reuniting with one of Tom’s most iconic characters on screen for the first time in 36 years - Just to see how much respect they had for each other as actors and to see a friendship that has evolved over 36 years," Kosinski said. “They’re just two actors at the top of their game doing this really beautiful scene for the film that’s so important. It was just a very emotional day on set, and it’s not often you get to do a scene with that much kind of emotional weight in a summer tent pole film.”
Kosinski then revealed his favorite moment from that particular scene. “My favorite part of that scene is the button at the end, that sense of competition is always there. Despite them being friends, there’s still that one-upmanship that exists between, I think, all these pilots and I also think between Tom and Val,” he said. “I think that competition is what kind of made their relationship in the first film feel so electric and real, in that there was a bit of a rivalry there as young actors. So just that moment at the end, that hug and that bit of humor to me is kind of what really makes the scene work.”
That specific scene he’s referencing has, without doubt, struck a chord with the audience’s heartstrings, especially considering Kilmer’s medical condition. As a result of being diagnosed with throat cancer, Kilmer was left without a voice, which ended up being an elementincorporated into hisTop Gun: Maverickcharacter. Thankfully, due to Typeface and additional digital work, Iceman and Maverick were able to share an emotional conversation and goodbye with one another - a moment on screen that fans will remember forever.
Top Gun: Maverickis now playing in theaters.
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