It has been 40 years since the release of Top Gun. To commemorate the remarkable milestone, members of its key creative team spoke out about how a group of US Navy pilots took Tom Cruise on a spin to test his “need for speed.” Top Gun went on to become a cult classic and one of the most memorable films in Cruise’s career.
Jack Epps Jr. and Jerry Bruckheimer on how Tom Cruise joined Top Gun
Top Gun creatives looked back on takingTom Cruisefor a spin with a group of US Navy pilots just before he signed on for the film over 40 years ago. Jack Epps Jr., the screenwriter who penned the classic action drama, and Jerry Bruckheimer, the film’s producer, spoke to The Guardian about the experience.
“They look at him, and they don’t know who Tom Cruise is,” Epps recalled of the pilots. “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.’ From that moment, he was on,” he added.
Bruckheimer recalled that he personally connected Cruise to the pilots. “We couldn’t quite get him to commit [to the movie], so I arranged for him to fly with the Blue Angels in El Centro, California,” he said. “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,” he added about Cruise, noting how different he looked from the role he was about to play. Cruise sported this look during filming for Ridley Scott’s Legend.
“They sure did,” the Top Gun producer continued. “And he got out of the plane, walked to a phone booth, because there were no cell phones then, called me up, said, ‘I’m in,’” he added.
Cruise also spoke about his take on this flight back in 2016. During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cruise admitted that he joined the film so he could hang with the Blue Angels (via E!). Cruise had said, “I told my agent, ‘I’m going to make this movie, but don’t tell Jerry I want to make this movie because I want to fly with the Blue Angels. You’ve got work these things, you know? I’m a businessman.” Cruise also revealed that he “vomited” during the flight.
Top Gun is available for streaming on Netflix.
