‘Maverick’ stars talk Tom Cruise, theater experiece
Though the summer box office got an early jump this year thanks to the release of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” things are set to really heat up Memorial Day weekend with the release of “Top Gun: Maverick,” a direct sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun,” which became a cultural touchstone when it was released 35 years ago.
As the title might suggest, Tom Cruise is back in the lead role as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the hot-shot pilot who doesn’t play by the rules we first met more than three decades ago. Following a disastrous test flight aboard an experimental aircraft, Maverick finds himself in hot water with the Navy, and is assigned to an advising position within the Top Gun training program.
It is here that we meet a new generation of pilots that have been given an impossible task, and it will be up to Maverick to ensure these pilots are able to complete their mission and come back home alive.
Floridian Danny Ramirez, who was raised in Miami and plays Fanboy in the film, describes his character as “in love with all things Navy, he’s living his dream. He loves aviation. He loves flying. And he’s the greatest person of all time.”
Jay Ellis, who plays Payback in the movie, similarly says his character is “the greatest pilot in all of naval history,” but adds that “he gets humbled really quickly [when he] realizes that they have to like find a way to come together and be a team if they want to ultimately make this team to go on a mission.”
So what was it like for Ramirez and Ellis to step into such a big franchise and work with Tom Cruise?
“It’s a dream,” says Ramirez. “I look back at the experience and the immense legacy of the original and how that ripples through culture… Tom instilled this responsibility in us about what it means to be a storyteller and that any time we tell a story, [we have to] do it to the best of our ability. I think everyone walked away with that same energy and with the philosophies that of like, really pushing the medium forward and pushing those limits and not doing a movie just for the sake of a movie but rather giving it your all and then some putting some sweat equity in and seeing how you can make something special.”
Ellis echoed Ramirez’s sentiments, adding that Cruise takes “responsibility of entertaining people and showing them new things [very] seriously… I think that rubs off on every single one of us.”
And speaking of movie theaters, Ellis says this is one film that simply won’t be the same when it hits streaming and the small screen.
“The only way to see ‘Top Gun’ and get the full experience is in a theater,” Ellis says. “What we were doing up in the jets, the score, the sound that goes with this thing, and on top of that, the community aspect of being in a theater and hearing people like gasp and high-five and fist pump and crying together, it’s a communal experience. This was the time to put this movie back in theaters and to get folks back out.”
Ramirez also called out Orlando residents specifically, saying the experience of seeing this film in a theater stands up to Central Florida’s world-class attractions.
“You’re used to stepping outside and being next to some of the best theme parks in the whole world. This experience is going to top that. This is going to put you in the back of an F-18, immerse you into the life of a naval aviator, and there is no experience like it.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” releases in theaters on May 27 just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Tickets are now available via major ticketing platforms as well as the official film website.