While Kelly McGillis’ character Charlie was always written as Maverick’s love interest in the movie “Top Gun”, in the original script, she was supposed to be an officer. It’s obvious to see why the scriptwriters would have wanted this to be the storyline; can you imagine the conflict underlying the relationship between two officers falling in love with each other in such a high-stakes career environment?
The Navy, which was very involved in the writing of the script, and assisted the moviemakers in staying within the budget, put its foot down. They wouldn’t approve of a script that involved two officers becoming involved. The U.S. military prohibits fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel. Because filmmakers depended greatly on the Navy’s involvement, they rewrote Charlie’s profession to that of a Navy consultant who assesses pilot performance.
Val Kilmer’s Improv Skills
Val Kilmer originally turned down the opportunity to play the role of the Iceman in "Top Gun". However, Tony Scott wanted him in the film so badly that he tracked him down and convinced him to play the now-iconic part of the gum-chewing, Maverick-hating pilot.
Kilmer ad-libbed an iconic memorable moment when he famously coughs out b*llsh*t in the hangar scene. What fans might not realize is that the line wasn't originally in the script, which seems pretty fitting for a script that experienced so many changes (from the very first script until after the film wrapped).
Meg and Anthony
Meg Ryan played the role of Goose’s wife in "Top Gun". While she only had a few scenes, the scenes she was in were very memorable and fans of the film loved her. After Goose'spassing in the film, her grief was a big part of humanizing Maverick and showed the depth of the pain that he was trying to control and hide.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, and unknown to much of the cast, things were getting hot and heavy between Meg and Anthony; they had secretly started a relationship. Their relationship intensified very fast and they soon moved in together. It was even reported that Anthony Edwards proposed to meg Ryan but she turned the proposal down. Their relationship lasted only for one year, from 1986 to 1987.
The Top Gun Aesthetic
The film had a very specific look and feel, something that helped secure its role in cinema history. The look of the movie is rumored to have been inspired by photographer Bruce Weber, who is famous for his provocative fashion and celebrity photography, as well as black and white graphic shots of the human body. His first book of photos, "Looking Good: A Guide for Men, served as the inspiration for the look of the Navy pilots in "Top Gun".
The volleyball scene was the scene that Scott admitted to struggling with the most. And he wasn't the only one who was worried about it; Paramount executives were nervous about it, too, apprehensive that Scott may have taken too much inspiration from Weber — whose artistic photos of nude and scantily dressed men were most popular within the gay community at the time.
Tom Cruise Was the Only One
During the casting calls, "Top Gun" was the movie that every up-and-coming Hollywood star wanted to be a part of. It seemed like every young star wanted to have some sort of role in the movie, including Charlie Sheen, who was willing to take even a small role. Some of the other high-profile stars who auditioned for the roles of Maverick included Sean Penn, John Cusack, Emilio Estevez, Michael J. Fox, and Patrick Swayze. However, it is believed that the screenwriters of the film then wrote the role of Maverick with Tom Cruise specifically in mind.
While Tom Cruise was at first hesitant to accept the role of Maverick, he immediately changed his mind after spending time up in the air with the Blue Angels. Although he wasn't originally sold on accepting the role, he eventually agreed and of course, it was a major boost for his career. He is now known for his love of action parts and also takes pride in doing many of his own stunts. In fact, he is so good at the stunts that the Telegraph has published an article called “12 Times Tom Cruise has Cheated Death".