‘Top Gun’ fans have no choice but to wait just a bit longer for the upcoming sequel of one of the most defining films in Tom Cruise’s acting career. The scourge of the novel coronavirus pandemic may have been responsible for pushing back the release date, but Goose, Maverick’s trusty wingman, has promised it will be worth the wait.
The Wingman
Anthony Edwards played Goose in the action-packed blockbuster back in 1986, and in a recent interview, reflected on his time spent filming with the ‘Mission Impossible’ star.
Goose dies in the original ‘Top Gun’ movie and so does not make an appearance in the sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ Edwards is pretty confident that the sequel will be just as head-turning and action-packed – if not even more than – the original.
“It will be fun to see. I love flying, and I loved what we have achieved in that original that broke a lot of rules,” Edwards said during the interview. “It was visually exciting. Of course, Cruise will do it justice. He’s proven himself as an actor, a story maker, a filmmaker for many years and Tom Cruise is going to do a great version of the sequel. He only has one switch.”
Cruise’s Switch
The one ‘switch’ that Tom Cruise has, according to Edwards, seems to be Cruise’s innate desires to do the impossible. The actor, according to reports, flies a jet himself for the sequel while up to six cameras record every single move he makes within the cockpit.
The Original ‘Top Gun’
Edwards was in his twenties when he landed one of the coveted roles in the original ‘Top Gun’ movie as Lt. Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw. This was the film that catapulted Edwards to the limelight and stardom as well. Afterwards, he landed another role as Dr. Mark Greene for eight successive years on ‘ER’ opposite George Clooney.
Fond Memories of Preparing for ‘Top Gun’
Edwards stated that he has fond memories of preparing for his role in ‘Top Gun,’ which took him, Val Kilmer, and Cruise through rigorous aircraft training back then.
“The most fun was getting qualified so that you could actually ride in the backseat to do the filming,” Edward said. “It was an incredible experience because we had to go through all the air and water survival training that anybody would have to go through to fly in the back of one of those planes. It was pretty exciting.”
Edwards had always loved flying long before he even got the role, and today, he has up to 10 years under his belt as a highly experienced single-engine pilot.
“It’s recreational, but I love it,” Edwards said. And that is why Edwards did not even bat an eyelid at the idea of Cruise stubbornly performing his own stunts.
“I know that Tom always wants to do things to the nth degree, to the best of his ability, and if you have the opportunity to fly those planes, I won’t blame him for doing it,” Edwards added.
