Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. have recalled the unusual way actor Tom Cruise was convinced to star in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun.
In an interview, Epps revealed that Cruise was always the first choice to play Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the action drama directed by Tony Scott.
"I was a Tom Cruise fan at that time -- still am -- so we wrote this with Tom Cruise in mind as Maverick," Epps remembered. "I loved his movies: he's such an energetic actor, he connects with the audience." Cruise's movies at that point included 1983's The Outsiders, All the Right Moves and Risky Business, which helped cement him as a movie star.
Epps recalled handing over the script to Bruckheimer and suggesting Cruise for the lead role. "We were finishing up the script and I turned it over to Jerry Bruckheimer at the gates of Bel Air on a Saturday night. I said, 'Jerry, think Tom Cruise when you read this,' " he said.
Bruckheimer and producer Don Simpson were immediately convinced, but getting Cruise to officially sign on took more effort.
"We couldn't quite get him to commit so I arranged for him to fly with the Blue Angels in El Centro, California," Bruckheimer shared. "He had long hair and a ponytail and they saw this guy walk up and they said, 'We'll get this hippy a real ride.' "
Epps said the pilots were unaware of Cruise's identity and gave him an intense experience in the aircraft. "They do what they like to do: they took him up, they shook him around, he barfed on himself, and he came out and said, 'I love this.' " Bruckheimer added that Cruise called him immediately after landing and said, "I'm in."
Released in 1986, Top Gun went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year, earning more than $350 million worldwide. The film also starred Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt and Kelly McGillis, according to People.
Its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, released in 2022 under the direction of Joseph Kosinski and saw Cruise reprise his iconic role alongside Kilmer. The sequel also featured Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, Lewis Pullman and Jay Ellis.
Both Top Gun films recently returned to theatres to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original movie, while Paramount Pictures has confirmed that Top Gun 3 is currently in development.