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Here’s a brain-teaser for you. What do you get when you combine an article on military airplanes, a young Tom Cruise, and an iconic, cheesy ’80s pop hit? At first glance, it’s not an obvious recipe for movie magic. And yet, back in 1986, it became a reality: Top Gun.
Top Gun exudes the style and attitude of the ’80s. From the synth-rock soundtrack, the buddy-buddy masculinity, and the unapologetic use of lines like, “We feel the need – the need for speed!” The movie is a definitive and unintentional celebratory time capsule of that era.
And now, with the sequel Top Gun: Maverick flying into theaters next month, a window of opportunity arises to rewatch the original in preparation. But before you do, check out these 10 jet-powered facts about Top Gun 1 that you might not have known:
1. The Movie is Based Off A Magazine Article
The initial inspiration for Top Gun came from an unusual place, not from an obscure novel, but from a magazine article. The article in question is a May 1983 California magazine feature called ‘Top Guns’ by Ehud Yonay. The piece in question explored the life of fighter pilots at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, self-nicknamed as “Fightertown USA.” Of course, the film would become far more memorable and iconic than its source material.
2. Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise Didn’t Get On
The male rivalry between Maverick and Iceman is a significant part of Top Gun 1 (fact: it’s also a huge reason why many viewers interpret the film as bearing homoerotic subtext). Indeed, to help make the on-screen rivalry feel legitimate, Val Kilmer indulged in a clear-cut example of method acting. “I would purposefully play up the rivalry between Tom’s character and mine off-screen as well,” explains the actor in his 2021 documentary Val to make the “two clear camps” feel legitimate and believable. However, while Kilmer admits it was fun to play up their characters’ tension, he claims he harbors no ill-will. Indeed, he sees Cruise as a friend.
3. It’s A Navy Commercial
Okay, so it isn’t obvious this was intentional from the beginning. However, once TG was a definite hit, the Navy took advantage of the enthusiasm Top Gun riled up to recruit new members to its ranks. Indeed, shortly after the film’s initial 1986 release, the US Navy claimed that the number of young men wanting to be naval aviators shot up by 500 percent. Thus, Navy recruitment booths were installed in some theaters to capitalize on this. It would appear that many young men desired the need for speed during that time!
4. Bryan Adams Approached for the Soundtrack
Before Berlin’s ephemeral vocal made ‘Take My Breath Away’ the hit it is now, other considerations were made as to what would constitute Top Gun‘s hit song. One of the said considerations included Canadian pop-rocker Bryan Adams. Producers asked Adams about lending his song ‘Only the Strong Survive’ to the soundtrack, including singing ‘Danger Zone.’ Alas, Adam turned down the job because he disagreed with the film’s pro-war message. Kenny Loggins would later be hired to sing ‘Danger Zone’ while Bryan Adams would go on to co-write and sing ‘Everything I Do’ for the Prince of Thieves soundtrack, which won a Grammy.
5. Riding in an F14 Convinced Tom Cruise to Sign-On
Strange fact – Jerry Bruckheimer, who co-produced Top Gun 1, reveals he had difficulty getting Cruise to join the project as Maverick. Bruckheimer and his colleagues were eager to get Cruise after watching him in 1983’s critically-acclaimed Risky Business. Alas, the young rising star was skeptical of the project at first. So, the producers decided to get creative when convincing him. By that, I mean they sent him to the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, California so the Blue Angels could give him a ride in an F-14. Naturally. After the trip, Cruise immediately got on the phone and accepted the job.
6. Tom Cruise Attended Top Gun Class
We all know that Tom Cruise is an extreme workaholic. While he is often subject to mockery for his religion and some bizarre TV appearances, the actor goes to extreme lengths to entertain us. For example, this is evident when he’s holding his breath for ten minutes, breaking his foot while performing a stunt, attending real Top Gun flight school classes, and socializing with airbase pilots as research to play Maverick. One thing’s for sure – the man puts himself into his roles.
7. Matthew Modine Was Offered the Lead Role
It’s hard to imagine Top Gun without Tom Cruise’s youthful, pre-Scientology face gracing its scenes. Yet, Cruise wasn’t the only chap in the line to play Maverick. Matthew Bodine, famous for playing Joker in Full Metal Jacket, was initially offered the role. However, the Vision Quest actor turned down the role because he disagreed with the movie’s politics. Indeed, the movie’s gung-ho patriotism sharply conflicts with Bodine’s not-so-patriotic political views (in an interview with The Independent, he describes American exceptionalism as “bullsh**t” and believes his country needs to self-reflect on what he sees as a turbulent and oppressive history).
8. Charlie Blackwood’s Based Off a Real Navywoman
At first glance, Top Gun may appear a low-brow high-testosterone work of Hollywood fiction. And, well, it is. But despite this, it has some level of reality behind it. Kelly McGillis’s character, Charlie Blackwood, is based on a real-life aircraft defense tactician Christine Fox. Much like Blackwood, Fox has a father with a navy background who encouraged her to take up mathematics, sending her on her career trajectory. Unlike Christine, however, fictional Charlie Blackwood is an astrophysicist and spends far more time with Top Gun trainees than Fox ever did. Fox would become Acting Deputy of Defense under the Obama Administration in 2013, adding another impressive layer to her resume.
9. Tried To Win The “Best Score” Category
Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock got two songs into the film (‘Danger Zone’ and ‘Take My Breath Away’). Heck, they even won the 1986 Academy Awards for Best Original Song. However, the duo initially had loftier sights in mind – namely, the Academy Award for Best Original Score. They even composed three additional tracks to qualify. Unfortunately, one of the said songs faded out too quickly, and each song needed to be of a certain length to be under consideration for the award. Despite this, ‘Danger Zone’ and ‘Take My Breath Away’ remain iconic movie pop hits and facts from Top Gun.
10. “Take My Breath Away” Inspired New Love Scenes
Take My Breath Away is easily one of the most iconic movies soundtrack songs of all time. Director Tony Scott and company must have realized this early on because the song inspired them to shoot new steamy love scenes between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis – months after principal photography wrapped. “If you see those scenes, you’ll notice that they are lit differently and there are those gauzy curtains blowing around,” says songwriter Tom Whitlock in a 2014 interview, “all of that was to disguise that some months had gone by and the actors didn’t look exactly the same.” While it certainly explains how out-of-place the scenes feel, it certainly helped the song’s popularity.
The sequel Top Gun: Maverick flies into theaters on May 27th, 2022. Are you hyped to see the sequel? What’s your favorite Top Gun fact?
