Scheduled for release on May 25, “Top Gun: Maverick” will see Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprising their roles. However, Kelly McGillis, who played Charlie, the woman with whom the hero had a passionate romance, will be entirely absent from the story.
According to director Joseph Kosinski, the possibility of bringing this character back for the “Top Gun” sequel was never considered by the production. “That was not part of the stories we wanted to tell. I didn’t want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters,” he explained, as reported by the American site Variety.
In 2019, when the project was officially announced, Kelly McGillis, now 64, was clear about the fact that no one had asked her to participate in this sequel. “I’m old, I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for my age. And that is not what that whole scene is about. 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,” she had explained.
Meg Ryan, who played the wife of Anthony Edwards’ character, Goose, and who is the mother of Bradley Bradshaw—played by Miles Teller—in “Top Gun: Maverick” is also absent from the sequel. Although her existence is at least mentioned on screen.
Ultimately, it is Jennifer Connelly, 51, who takes a leading role as Penny Benjamin, the daughter of an Admiral with whom Maverick had a fling, and who is mentioned in the original film. In this sequel, she is a single mother who runs the bar where the recruits of the Top Gun school often gather.
“Penny Benjamin, a character we’ve heard about but never seen on screen, provided a great opportunity to offer this role to Jennifer Connelly in the film,” Joseph Kosinski added.
