Val Kilmer Reflects On Filming Original Top Gun Movie
Warning! Spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick.
Thirty-six years later and as Top Gun: Maverick plays in theaters, Val Kilmer reflects on filming the original Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise. After springing onto the scene in the ‘80s, Kilmer quickly became one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood. This was thanks to films like Top Secret! (1984), Real Genius (1985), and, of course, Top Gun (1986).
Tony Scott’s film follows young naval aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and his wingman Nick “Goose” Bradshaw as they’re given a chance to train at the US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at the Naval Air Station in San Diego, California, aka TOPGUN. There, they meet top student Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who criticizes Maverick for his reckless behavior and disregard for protocol. The rivalry between the pair is a major part of Top Gun, which ends with them gaining a mutual level of respect for one another. It’s safe to say Top Gun wouldn’t be the pop culture phenomenon it is today had Kilmer decided not to take the supporting role of Iceman.
Related: Why Top Gun 2 Needed Val Kilmer’s Iceman Return
In a recent feature by EW, Kilmer reflected on filming the original Top Gun. Initially, the actor wasn’t interested in playing Iceman, but Scott’s persistence eventually led to a meeting, and the director’s enthusiasm won over Kilmer. Read what he had to say about that experience below:
«We were all so young during the making of the first movie, but even then there was a special bond between us all. Even after shooting we would laugh and dance the night away!»
Around the release of Top Gun, it was heavily rumored that the on-screen rivalry between Iceman and Maverick translated to a feud between stars Kilmer and Cruise. That was not the case,
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