Top Gun Maverick: ‘I’m too old and fat’ – Kelly McGillis on being snubbed from sequel
TOP GUN 2 doesn't see Kelly McGillis return as Charlie, the love interest of Tom Cruise's Maverick from the original movie. The 64-year-old has said it's because she actually looks her age compared to what's expected in Hollywood. However, director Joseph Kosinski has pointed out that Meg Ryan also hasn't reprised the role of Goose's wife Carole and has defended casting decisions.
Top Gun: Maverick teased in trailer starring Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman return in Top Gun 2, but the leading lady has been replaced with a new love interest played by Jennifer Connelly. Kelly McGillis famously portrayed Charlie Blackwood in the 1986 original and her absence from Top Gun: Maverick is the real elephant in the room for some fans. Since the film was announced, the 64-year-old had admitted she thinks it’s because she’s not in the shape Hollywood wants her to be in.
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Speaking with ET, McGillis said: “Oh my God, no. 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. To me, I’d much rather feel absolutely secure in my skin and who and what I am at my age as opposed to placing a value on all that other stuff.”
The Top Gun star admitted at the time that she hadn’t seen the trailer for the long-delayed Top Gun: Maverick and wasn’t sure if she’d even bother catching the blockbuster at the cinema.
McGillis said in 2019: “I dunno. I mean I guess it depends on what kind of reviews it gets. I’m not racing to the theatre and I’m not racing away from the theatre to see it. It’s just not on my little list of things that I’d like to get done.”
Top Gun: Maverick has been hailed by critics, with 97 per cent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so maybe she’ll take the plunge?
Meanwhile, the new film’s director Joseph Kosinski has defended McGillis and Meg Ryan’s absence.
Speaking with Insider this month, the Top Gun 2 director said neither actress was considered at all for the new film.
He shared: “Those weren't stories that we were throwing around. I didn't want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters."
Interestingly, Connelly’s character Penny was actually mentioned in the first movie, so there is some continuity for Maverick’s love life.
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In Top Gun, Penny is referred to as “the Admiral’s daughter” who Maverick had a previous romantic attachment with.
Now in the sequel, she’s a single mother who owns the bar right by the flight school where Maverick teaches.
Kosinski said: “Penny Benjamin, a character we have heard mentioned but never seen before, that was an amazing opportunity to bring Jennifer Connelly's character into this film.”
Top Gun: Maverick hits UK cinemas on May 27, 2022.
