Goose’s real name is never revealed
One of the most iconic things about Top Gun is that the characters are mostly known by their call signs. While some of the real names are revealed (notably Tom Cruise’s Maverick is really Pete Mitchell), one key character’s real name is never uttered: that of Anthony Edwards’ Goose. However, watch Maverick and Goose’s jet closely and you’ll see his real name is Nick Bradshaw.
The upside-down stunt wouldn’t actually work
Top Gun is full of awesome flying sequences, and as many of the stunts were shot practically, not much of what we see isn’t physically possible. However, one memorable moment that couldn’t happen for real comes when Maverick and Goose fly ‘inverted’ and ‘greet’ another plane that flies below them. If this were actually attempted, the rear ends of both vehicles would collide.
The film is dedicated to a stunt pilot who died during filming
Top Gun is dedicated to Art Scholl, an aerobatic pilot, aerial cameraman and flight instructor, who had been performing flight stunts since the early 1950s. Hugely admired as an authority on aviation, Scholl worked on Top Gun’s airborne sequences, but was tragically killed during the production when his plane went into a tailspin and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
Cruise And Kilmer were rivals off-screen as well as on
Top Gun is famous for the on-camera tension between Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman, and reportedly things weren’t too different off-camera. Cruise and Kilmer never interacted between takes, and gave each other a wide-berth whenever the cameras weren’t rolling. Kilmer eventually explained that he cultivated the icy tension between them on purpose so that their animosity would be more believable on screen.
Maverick doesn’t know how to work the sticks
Top Gun may not be a documentary, but you would expect the filmmakers to recognise something as basic as the difference between braking and accelerating. Every time Maverick ‘puts on the brakes’ in the film, he pushes the throttle quadrant forward and pulls back on the stick. Performed at the controls of a real jet, this would actually put him into a full climb.
Flying made most of the actors sick
In a bid for realism, Top Gun’s pilot actors shot their flying scenes in actual jets travelling at very high speeds and altitudes (with qualified pilots at the controls). This proved gruelling, and reportedly most of the actors – even the legendary daredevil Tom Cruise – were physically sick at least once during the shoot. Reportedly Anthony Edwards is the only one who never threw up.
One shot of an aircraft carrier cost the production $25k
A lot of Top Gun’s budget went on the planes, since the filmmakers had to shell out $7,800 per hour for fuel whenever the aircraft were flown outside their normal duties. Director Tony Scott also had to write a $25,000 cheque for an aircraft carrier to turn around for a shot he wanted, even the vehicle only changed course for five minutes.
The love scene was added as an afterthought
The romance between Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Kelly McGillis’ Charlie was initially a much smaller subplot. The love scene between the two was entirely a product of reshoots, and was added after test screenings revealed viewers wanted to see the couple have sex. It is unclear if the scene would have been deemed necessary at all, had the test audiences not demanded it.
Kelly McGillis’ hair had to be hidden in the reshoots, as she’d already changed it
Whilst reshoots are commonplace on major movies, they often present problems as actors move on to different projects which necessitate a change of appearance. Kelly McGillis had dyed her hair brown for her next role, so in some reshoots she was given a hat to conceal this. This was also the key reason why the actors are seen primarily in silhouette in the love scene.
Nicolas Cage, Patrick Swayze and Matthew Modine were considered for the role of Maverick
Tom Cruise might seem like the one and only Maverick today, but he was far from the only contender for the role. Nicolas Cage, Patrick Swayze, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Emilio Estevez, Michael J. Fox and John Cusack were also considered to play Maverick. Reportedly Matthew Modine was offered the role, but declined as he did not approve of the film’s pro-war ethos.
The studio were worried audiences would get bored with all the flying
Given Top Gun’s subject matter, it naturally features a lot of flying scenes. This was a cause of concern for studio executives, who advised director Tony Scott to pare back on these scenes for fear of boring the audience. Scott refused, rightly predicting that the flying sequences would be the strongest and most memorable parts of the movie and that audiences would love them.
Tom Cruise is shorter than Kelly McGillis
At just 5’7″, Tom Cruise is actually three inches shorter than Kelly McGillis. Fearing audiences wouldn’t accept a female love interest taller than the leading man, Top Gun’s crew used various tricks to make Cruise appear taller than McGillis, including putting lifts in his shoes and filming him from particular angles that made him look bigger. Similar tactics have been used throughout his career.
Director Tony Scott was fired multiple times
Directors sometimes get fired and rehired, but this rarely happens multiple times during a single shoot. However, Top Gun director Tony Scott was fired from the position three times during production, due to various disagreements with producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Thankfully, they rehired the director every time. He later directed more Simpson/Bruckheimer productions including Days of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II.
The film was a great Navy recruitment tool
The US military often works with Hollywood, helping studios with resources and script consultancy in return for a positive portrayal. It’s often unclear what impact these deals have on military recruitment, but Top Gun famously had a huge impact on in that department. The US Navy reported that after the film’s release they saw a 500% increase in young men interested in becoming Naval Aviators.
Tom Cruise had never ridden a motorcycle before playing Maverick
Along with sprinting like a superhuman and being down to tackle just about any stunt, Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle in a movie has become a meme all of its own. Surprisingly, Cruise had never actually ridden one before shooting Top Gun. He learned to ride on the bike Maverick rides: a Kawasaki Ninja 900, the fastest production motorcycle in the world at the time.
Bryan Adams declined to provide music for a film he thought glorified war
Top Gun’s celebrated soundtrack features original music by Harold Faltermeyer, Berlin and Kenny Loggins, but early on the filmmakers were keen to use the Bryan Adams song Only the Strong Survive. However, on being told about the film, the Canadian singer-songwriter was immediately put off and declined, not wanting his music to be associated with something that took such a pro-military stance.
Sequel Top Gun: Maverick took 35 years to reach screens
In 2022, Top Gun finally got the sequel fans had long been clamouring for. Top Gun: Maverick saw director Joseph Kosinski replace the late Tony Scott. Though it began filming in 2018, its release was delayed due to Covid-19. With takings of almost $1.5 billion, it became Tom Cruise’s biggest hit. It was also critically acclaimed, and earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
It was the highest-grossing movie of 1986
Though it got a mixed response from critics, Top Gun blew away audiences in 1986, earning a whopping $356.8 million off the back of a $15 million budget. This made it the biggest worldwide box office hit of 1986, establishing Tom Cruise as the hottest new star around and elevating the careers of director Tony Scott and producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.
They got the plane engines the wrong way round
When Maverick goes into a spin, “Engine one is out” is uttered as flames burst out on the right engine. This is a mistake, as engine one is in fact on the jet’s left. With many aviation experts on set, surely someone spotted this, but the filmmakers likely figured they could get away with fudging some details as the wider audience wouldn’t know any better.
The missile shots are repeated throughout the film
The filmmakers needed approval from military officials for all scenes involving aircraft, which caused issues shooting dogfight scenes. The missiles in the movie were from F-14s lent to the shoot by the US Navy, who told filmmakers they were only allowed to fire them twice. For this reason, the filmmakers had to re-use shots of those same two missiles repeatedly throughout the film.
Val Kilmer ad-libbed a classic scene
When Maverick is regaling the other pilots with his tale of flipping off the pilot of the MiG – which he explains he was able to do by flying inverted – Val Kilmer’s character coughs “bulls**t”, prompting laughter from the pilots. Kilmer improvised this line of the spot, and the other actors’ reactions are genuine.
A Taiwanese patch was removed from Maverick’s suit for the sequel
In the original Top Gun, Maverick wears a Taiwanese flag patch on his flight-suit as a tribute to his father, who flew a joint mission with Taiwan during the Vietnam War. When the trailer for the sequel was released in 2019, many noted that the flag had been removed, apparently in a bid to appease Chinese censors. After a fan outcry, the patch was reinstated.
The Pentagon charged Paramount $1.8 million
All of the planes and aircraft carriers in Top Gun are genuine military gear, meaning they had to be rented from the Pentagon, who charged Paramount pictures $1.8 million. This got the filmmakers access to the Miramar Naval Air Station, four aircraft carriers and a number of F-14 Tomcats, F-5 Tigers and A-4 Skyhawks.
Val Kilmer was forced into doing the film
In his autobiography, Val Kilmer confessed that he didn’t want to be in Top Gun, but was forced by contractual obligations. Director Tony Scott tried to placate him by insisting that even though the story was “insufficient,” the spectacular jet scenes more than made up for it. Kilmer ended up liking the film, stating that the movie was a ‘blast and an education’.
Kelly McGillis’ character is based on a real person
While doing research for Top Gun, the film’s producers travelled to Miramar where they met Christine Fox, who at the time was a civilian flight instructor. Impressed, the producers decided to base a character on Fox, which eventually became Kelly McGillis’ character Charlie. Fox later went to work for the Pentagon, eventually rising to the rank of Deputy Secretary of Defense.
Pilots drew straws to “buzz the tower”
Before Top Gun, no one had ever “buzzed the tower” at the Miramar Naval Air Station. The pilots working on the film drew straws to determine who would get to fly during the scene, and Lieutenant Commander Lloyd “Bozo” Abel won. Michael Ironside later stated that watching the flyby from an upper floor in the hangar was his favorite memory from working on the film.
The military made alterations to the script
As well as forking over $1.8 million, the producers of Top Gun had to allow the military to make changes to the script in exchange for access to hardware. Goose’s death was changed from a midair collision because “too many pilots were crashing” and Charlie was changed from a service member to a civilian, because the Navy forbids relationships between officers and enlisted personnel.
Special cameras were designed for the film
In order to capture point-of-view footage for the aerial scenes, Paramount commissioned Grumman – the manufactures of the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet – to build specialized cameras. These were installed on the wings, and had to be securely attached to prevent them from getting ripped off when the planes performed high-speed aerial maneuvers.
A real Top Gun instructor makes an appearance
The man Charlie is briefly seen with at the officer’s club is Pete Pettigrew, a real-life Navy pilot and Top Gun instructor who worked as a technical consultant on the film. Pettigrew flew a number of combat missions over the course of his military career, at one point shooting down a MiG during the Vietnam War.
Maverick and Charlie’s kiss was improvised
Maverick and Charlie’s first on-screen kiss was entirely improvised. After Maverick chases Charlie down on his bike, she admits she is falling for him but explains that she wants to keep it a secret. Tom Cruise was supposed to reply, but he forgot his lines and ad-libbed the kiss instead. Tony Scott ultimately thought this worked better, and used the shot in the final cut.
One of the stunt pilots became an astronaut
All of Maverick’s flying sequences in Top Gun were performed by Navy Captain Scott. D Altman. In 1996, Altman joined NASA, and in 1998 he piloted the STS-90 space shuttle on his first space flight. With four space voyages under his belt, including the last mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, Altman is now president of the Space operating group for ASRC Federal.
Rick Rossovich was thrown off the aircraft carrier
During production, Slider actor Rick Rossovich was assigned a bunk on the aircraft carrier that was near to the ship’s nuclear reactor. Uncomfortable about the potential radiation, Rossovich moved to a new bunk. This belonged to an officer, who was understandably irritated at having his bed taken. After Rossovich mouthed off to the officer, the captain ordered him thrown off the ship for disrespect.
Ally Sheedy turned down the role of Charlie
Before Kelly McGillis was cast as Charlie, the role was offered to Ally Sheedy (of The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire and Short Circuit). The actress declined, however, feeling that no one would be interested in a film about fighter pilots. Sheedy has since expressed her regret, and stated that it remains the single worst decision of her career.
The scene where Goose sings was added last minute
The scene in which Goose sings Great Balls of Fire while pretending to play the piano wasn’t in the script, and Anthony Edwards only found out about it just before filming. Tony Scott had been listening to Jerry Lee Lewis before filming commenced for the day, and he came up with the scene on the spot.
Tom Cruise was initially reluctant to take the role
It wasn’t just Val Kilmer who had reservations about accepting a role in Top Gun; when Tom Cruise was initially approached for the role of Maverick, the actor was initially reluctant. Jerry Bruckheimer convinced Cruise to let the Blue Angels take him on a flight, after which he was immediately on board, stating: “I’m in. I’m doing the movie. I love it. This is great.”
A ship mentioned in the film is now an artificial reef
In Top Gun, Viper mentions to Maverick that he served with his father onboard the U.S.S. Oriskany, a real-life ship that saw combat in both Korea and Vietnam. In 2004, the United States government decided to sink the Oriskany off the coast of Florida to create an artificial reef, making it the largest vessel ever used for this purpose.
Meg Ryan and Anthony Edwards dated after filming Top Gun
After working together on the set of Top Gun, Meg Ryan and Anthony Edwards ended up dating, remaining together for a year before going their separate ways. These days, Ryan seems to be single after calling off her engagement to John Mellencamp in 2019, while Edwards is married to American actress Mare Winningham.
The final combat scene was inspired by real life incidents
The final aerial battle in Top Gun – which sees Maverick shoot down a number of enemy MiGs – was inspired by a real-life event. In 1981, after the American military sent aircraft carriers into waters claimed by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a dogfight broke out which resulted in American F-14s shooting down a number of Libyan Su-22s.
A high ranking admiral is in the film
One of the most iconic shots in Top Gun is Maverick flying upside down to flip off the pilot of an enemy MiG. The pilot who had the honor of getting sworn at onscreen by Tom Cruise is Robert Willard, a retired US Navy Admiral who at one point was the commander of the entire United States Pacific Fleet.
Kenny Loggins wasn’t first choice for Danger Zone
Top Gun has an absolutely iconic soundtrack, but perhaps the most memorable track is Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone. The song was written by Italian composer Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics from American songwriter Tom Whitlock. The producers initially approached both Toto and REO Speedwagon to record the track. After they turned it down, Kenny Loggins accepted, with his version going on to receive a Grammy nomination.
Tom Cruise’s hair was different in the reshoots
It wasn’t just Kelly McGillis’ hair that caused problems during reshoots. When it came time for the romantic sequences, Tom Cruise had already started filming The Color of Money and was growing his locks out for the role. While McGillis’ dyed hair could be partially hidden under a cap, filmmakers had no way to hide Cruise’s new do, and it’s obvious once you spot it.
The film started fashion trends
Top Gun was a huge box office success, taking $357 million against a budget of $15 million. However, the producers knew the film was going to be a hit long before the final figures were added up, when the combination of leather jacket, white T-shirt and aviator sunglasses suddenly became an unmissable fashion trend.
The TV series JAG used shots from Top Gun
JAG, an American legal show set against the backdrop of the US Navy, ran from 1995 to 2005. The montage used for the opening show’s opening credits includes shots of F-14 Tomcats taking off from an aircraft carrier, and this was taken directly from footage shot specifically for Top Gun.
The dinner scene contains a continuity error
In the scene where Maverick and Charlie have dinner at her house, she states that he is the only one who’s gone up against a MiG-28. This is a mistake, as Cougar was also in the aerial battle during the movie’s opening scene. Either no one picked up on this discrepancy or, more likely, the filmmakers simply figured no one would notice.
Top Gun is a running joke in Archer
Top Gun is repeatedly mentioned in the satirical animated series Archer, with the titular spy clearly heavily influenced by the movie, and in particular Kenny Loggins’ song Danger Zone. Loggins actually plays himself in a season five episode of Archer, which ends with Loggins duetting his iconic record with one of the show’s characters.
There were concerns it was too homoerotic
When the volleyball scene was being shot, Tony Scott wanted to make it more visually appealing, resulting in the decision to slather the topless actors in baby oil. This ended up giving the entire scene a distinctly homoerotic feel, concerning the studio and contributing to the decision to hastily add the sex scene, to make it clear that Maverick isn’t gay.
Otis Ray, whose music is discussed, died in a plane crash
After having dinner together, Charlie and Maverick talk about Otis Redding’s record Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay. Appropriately, Redding lost his life in a plane crash in 1967. Whether this was a deliberate reference by the filmmakers, or whether it’s simply a spooky coincidence, is unknown.
Tom Cruise once said a sequel would be ‘irresponsible’
In a 1990 interview with Playboy Magazine, Tom Cruise acknowledged criticisms that Top Gun was essentially right-wing military propaganda, stating ‘I want the kids to know that’s not the way war is’. Cruise also added ‘That’s why I didn’t go on and make Top Gun II… That would have been irresponsible’, although clearly the actor later changed his mind.
Charlie’s character was meant to be less substantial
In the original script, Kelly McGillis’ character Charlie was written as a minor character and an accessory to the male lead. However, Dawn Steel, the head of Paramount Pictures at that time, refused to give the film the go-ahead until Charlie was rewritten as a more substantial character.
The VHS version contained a special Pepsi commercial
The first VHS versions of the movie contained a Top Gun-themed Pepsi commercial before the film begins. In the commercial, a fighter pilot is struggling to get his bottle of Diet Pepsi out of the cup holder, a conundrum which he resolves by flying the plane upside down in true Maverick fashion so that the drink pours into his cup.
One of Maverick’s lines makes absolutely no sense
When Maverick is arguing with his superiors after a training exercise, he states, “we weren’t below the hard deck for more than a few seconds.” In aviation exercises, the hard deck is an altitude that represents the ground, so Maverick is essentially admitting that he crashed. The term that was probably intended is soft deck, which is the lowest altitude that should generally be flown at.
Tony Scott was hired because of an ad he made
Tony Scott wasn’t the producers’ first choice when it came to directors for Top Gun, with both John Carpenter and David Cronenberg turning down the opportunity before him. Scott landed the job because of a commercial he’d filmed that featured a Saab 900 racing a fighter jet, and which the producers figured gave him enough experience working with planes to make a film about pilots.
The prologue is incorrect
Text during the film’s prologue states that “On March 3, 1969, the United States Navy established an elite school”, and goes on to state that school’s purpose is to ensure that “the handful of men who graduated were the best pilots in the world”. When the film was made, there were no female fighter pilots in the Navy, but that changed in 1986, the same year Top Gun was released.
There’s a typo in the opening
While the text in Top Gun’s prologue only references male pilots, that was at least correct at the time it was written. A more inexcusable error, on the other hand, is the blatant typo. One of the sentences in the prologue uses the word ‘insure’, which is actually spelled ‘ensure’.
Charlie’s house is now a tourist attraction
While the address that Charlie gives Maverick isn’t a real place, the house her character lives in does exist in real life. Originally located in the San Diego county of Oceanside, the house was preserved after production and became quite a popular tourist attraction. In 2019, the ‘Top Gun House’ as it is commonly known was moved to another location so that renovations could be carried out.
Maverick apparently has magic sunglasses
One of the film’s continuity errors makes it appear like Maverick has magically appearing sunglasses. After the film’s climactic showdown, Maverick – flushed with victory – is hoisted up on his teammates’ shoulders. As he goes up he’s not wearing sunglasses, but when he’s lowered in the following shot he miraculously has a pair on his face.
Merlin’s helmet changes color in the final dogfight
During Top Gun’s climax, Maverick engages in a dogfight with enemy MiGs with Merlin as his copilot. Merlin’s helmet is purple, as it has been for the rest of the film, but during one shot it briefly changes to orange, the color of Sundown’s helmet. This was likely due to the editors not having enough material and burrowing a shot from an earlier scene.
The first trailer featured an unrelated track
Top Gun’s soundtrack is one of the most celebrated aspects of the film, with Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone and Berlin’s Take My Breath Away both becoming pop culture classics. However, the first trailer for the film is set to The Cars’ record Stranger Eyes, which doesn’t appear in the movie.
The Chinese government used a clip from the film in its propaganda
In 2011, China Central Television News – a channel run by the government – aired a clip that purported to show a Chinese JR-10 fighter jet shooting down another plane with a missile. While the clip does begin with genuine footage of Chinese aircraft, the explosion is clearly lifted straight from Top Gun.
Closeups in the cockpit were shot on the ground
Top Gun’s flying sequences were filmed in the air with Navy aviators piloting the planes to enhance realism. However, many of the closeup shots in the cockpits had to be reshot with the planes on the ground, because most of the actors looked noticeably nauseated while the fighter jets were in the air.
A lot of actresses turned down the role of Charlie
During casting for Top Gun, Jodie Foster, Tatum O’Neal, Sarah Jessica Parker, Daryl Hannah, Diane Lane and Linda Hamilton were all offered the role of Charlie. They all turned it down. Carrie Fisher was also considered, but ultimately the part was offered to Kelly McGillis because the producers were impressed by her work in 1985’s Witness.
The Need for Speed video games were inspired by Top Gun
Need for Speed is one of EA’s oldest franchises, and it’s one of the most famous racing games in the world. The first Need For Speed game was released in 1994, and its title was inspired by the moment in Top Gun in which Maverick and Goose say to each other: “I feel the need… the need for speed.”
In one scene, an F-14’s wings are in the wrong position
In the movie’s final showdown, Maverick informs mission control that he is going “supersonic”. The next exterior shot of the plane shows Maverick’s F-14 with its wings in the forward position. This is impossible, as F-14’s automatically adjust their wings to the backwards position before they go supersonic.
Maverick frequently breaks military protocol
While Maverick lives up to his name with his tendency to deny orders and take matters into his own hands, he also routinely breaks Navy protocol in subtler ways. Specifically, Maverick is frequently shown walking outside without wearing a cap, something which is strictly prohibited in the Navy.
Goose’s death was inspired by a real-life accident
Goose’s tragic death in Top Gun marks a turning point in the film, with Maverick experiencing a crisis of confidence and blaming himself. The moment was actually inspired by a real-life accident that occurred during a test flight, when an F-14’s canopy didn’t properly detach after the crew ejected. One crew member broke his leg in the accident, which revealed a safety problem with the jets.
The rivalry between the pilots would never happen in real life
The flight school section of the film centers around the Top Gun Trophy, which the pilots compete for in a series of challenges. In reality, the Navy strongly discourages competitiveness between its aviators, and most of their training is designed to foster cooperation and teamwork.
Charlie’s badges would be against the law
Although the film makes it abundantly clear that Charlie is a civilian, her jacket is adorned with a number of military insignias, including Naval Aviator wings and a Chief Petty Officer’s insignia. Not only could Charlie never have earned these badges, she would be breaking the law by wearing them on a military installation.
The capabilities of the F-14s was played down
Both the defensive and offensive capabilities of F-14 Tomcats were misrepresented in Top Gun, with the film failing to show them using flares to throw off enemy missiles or locking onto more than one enemy at a time. This was likely the result of the Pentagon wanting to ensure that enemy governments weren’t able to glean any useful information from the film.
Jennifer Connelly’s Maverick character is mentioned in Top Gun
Penny Benjamin, Jennifer Connelly’s character in Top Gun: Maverick, is actually mentioned in the original film as one of Maverick’s former flames. Director Joseph Kosinski was keen to bring in characters for the sequel that weren’t in the original, so he introduced Penny as a new love interest for Maverick.
There are subtle Pepsi product placements in the film
As well as the Top Gun-inspired Pepsi commercial included with the film’s VHS release, the Pepsi logo also subtly appears a couple of times in the movie. A neon Pepsi sign is prominently noticeable in the background of a romantic moment between Charlie and Maverick, and, in the scene where a steward spills three cups of coffee on the tower chief, the logo can be seen on the tray.
