February 12, 2013

Top Ten Random Facts About Top Gun:

10. The famous shadowy love scene between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis was filmed after initial test screenings were shown to select audiences. Moviegoers complained that there was no love scene in the movie. Several weeks after production had wrapped on the movie, Paramount decided a love scene was needed. McGillis, however, had already dyed her hair darker for her next film. The scene was therefore tinted blue to hide the fact that McGillis was no longer blonde.

9. Just like the love scene, the elevator sequence that takes place after Maverick returns from a workout, was filmed in post-production. Kelly McGillis's hair had already been colored for another movie role, that is why she is wearing a hat. Tom Cruise's hair is also longer because he was working on the Paul Newman movie "The Color of Money."

8. Most of the actors who played the F-14 fighter pilots did get to ride backseat in F-14s and several sequences in the film were actually shot with the actors in flight. The only actor who did not vomit during any of those flights was Anthony "Goose" Edwards.

7. After the car chase when Charlie tells Maverick that she didn't want anyone to find out she was falling for him, Maverick originally had a line to say. Tom Cruise forgot the line and "ad libbed" by kissing Kelly McGillis instead. Director Tony Scott liked the improvisation so much, he left the scene like that. 

6. Kenny Loggins was not the first choice to sing the track "Danger Zone" which was written by Giogio Moroder. REO Speedwagon and Toto were two of the groups in consideration ahead of Loggins. 

5. The scene where Maverick and Goose are telling the story of their encounter with a Mig where they flipped off the pilot is one of the more humorous moments in the film. When Val Kilmer's character Iceman coughs into his hand "bullshit" the laughter you hear in the background from all the actors in the scene in genuine because Kilmer ad-libbed the line. 

4. The song "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin was the biggest hit of Berlin's career, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts. It was also one of the biggest reasons the band broke up. Lead singer Terri Nunn thought it would be a great opportunity for the band to change their sound but other members of the band hated the song because it was not written by the band. 

3. Rick "Slider" Rossovich was kicked off of an aircraft carrier during pre-production because he mouthed off to an officer about his sleeping quarters. Rossovich's bunk was just a few feet away from a nuclear reactor so he decided to sleep in another bunk. When the officer who's bunk Rossovich was sleeping in had returned, the actor told him to find another bunk. 

2. Riding on the back of the film's success, the US Navy set up recruiting booths in the major cinemas to try and catch some of the adrenaline charged guys leaving the screenings. They had the highest applications rate for years as a result.

1. Before Tom Cruise was selected to play Maverick there were several other actors that Paramount was interested in selecting to play the lead role. Among those actors were Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Tom Hanks and Charlie Sheen. Sheen would later go on to spoof Top Gun in the comedy Hot Shots.