The Tom Cruise-led Top Gun: Maverick is not hitting theatres until July, but one of the movie’s stars recently shared a lot of great behind-the-scenes info that has us stoked for the movie. Miles Teller, the actor best known for Whiplash and Divergent, is playing Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, the son of Goose. In a recent interview with Men’s Journal, Teller revealed that no green screens were used during production and also shared his wife’s emotional reaction when watching the movie. Teller also talked about the vigorous flight training that went into the role.
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“I had about three months of flight training before starting the movie,” Teller shared. “That time was important to get comfortable with the crafts but also to build up our G-force tolerance, because all of the aerial elements were shot practically. The training started in a Cessna, and moved to an Extra 300, a single-prop aerobatics craft, where you start to improve your G-tolerance. From there we got into an L-39 Albatros, flying with these guys called The Patriots, who are the civilian equivalent to the Blue Angels.”
He added, “Right off the bat, I am flying this f*cking plane myself with The Patriots in formation with three other planes around, which just felt insane. I had one jet right above me, so close, and then planes on both wings, then we did a loop while holding that formation. I was holding the stick, and I landed the plane as well. I stepped out of the craft and said, ‘Guys, we just met, there is no way you should trust me that much.’ I wouldn’t have trusted me.”
“They would have me go up in a F-18 for an hour or hour and a half, pulling anywhere around seven-and-a-half Gs. Getting to fly around with the best naval aviators in the world,” Teller explained. “The F-18 is just a completely different beast. Every element of our training came into play during those sequences, all of the breathing techniques and tolerances. Every single day of the shoot we were really getting after it, up until the very last day people were fainting and puking.”
“Before we got into the jets, we had to pass the Naval Aviation Survival Training course in San Diego,” Teller reveaed. “You learn all the protocols you need to go through if you ever have to eject over the ocean. They drag you across the water, they flip you on your bag, they want to see you able to get out of your harness and much more. That all leads up to the big test they put you through, which is called ‘The Dunker,’ where they put you into a modified helicopter, strap you to a chair, and then submerge this tank underwater. They blindfold you. Give you a chance to grab your last breath and then they take you down under the surface. Once you are under, they start to flip the tank and you have to prove you can go through the right operations to get out, as calmly as possible. Your partner is in there with you, and together you have to break open the hatch. It feels like some sort of torture chamber to a degree.”
Wow, that sounds like quite a lot of work! Are you surprised to learn what went on in the Top Gun training? Tell us in the comments!
Top Gun: Maverick is now slated to be released on July 2, 2021.
