A memorable component of the original 1985 Top Gun is the love story between Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Kelly McGillis’ flight instructor Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, but for the sequel, Jennifer Connelly’s Penny became the love interest. Director Joseph Kosinski recently recalled how the sequel was originally crafted under the assumption that these two hadn’t seen each other in more than three decades, only for the story to evolve to imply that the pair had a long-running romance with many ups and downs over the years. Top Gun: Maverick is out now on home video and streaming on Paramount+.
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“Well, originally, Penny and Maverick had not seen each other since 1985, so you ended up with him seeing a character he hadn’t seen since he was 18 or 19 years old,” Kosinski explained duringย Vanity Fair‘s Little Gold Men podcast. “And what we found after shooting it that way and putting the film together, it was just too far for that relationship to go from not having seen someone in 36 years to where we wanted to get at the end of the film. So that’s when we came up with the notion of, ‘This is a relationship that’s been on and off for decades and now, at this point, with the time where Maverick and Penny would be ready to connect in a meaningful way,’ so the bar scene is the kick-off for that. So that’s why it required so much tweaking to get it there.”
The new film largely focuses on introducing new characters, though does feature Val Kilmer’s return as nemesis-turned-friend Iceman, with Maverick’s former love interest not playing an integral component of the story. While the original love story was understandably memorable, it was also a bit complicated, as Charlie was meant to offer guidance to Maverick and served as a superior. When the sequel headed into development, McGillis quite candidly explained why she wouldn’t be appearing.
“Oh, my God, no. They did not, nor do I think they would ever,” McGillis shared with Entertainment Tonight back in 2019 about whether she was asked to return. “I mean, I’m old and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about.”
Stay tuned for details on a possible Top Gun 3.
What did you think of the love story in the film? Let us know in the comments!
