In 2014, Cruise made a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Kimmel asked him about the first time he traveled the world to promote a film. Cruise said that it was during the foreign press junket tour for “Top Gun”, which he said took four months to complete, as he was expected to spend weeks in every city they visited in Italy, France, and Japan.
Cruise told Jimmy Kimmel that it was he who came up with the idea of premiering the film in other countries, though he said, “It took me a few years to get it going.” Kimmel joked, “So all these other actors must want to kill you.” Nowadays, international releases for movies are very common and they require actors to do a lot of traveling around the world.
What's Meg Up to?
After "Top Gun", Ryan starred in the Rob Reiner-directed romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally" which brought her widespread attention and her first Golden Globe nomination. She went on to star in several popular romantic comedies like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You’ve Got Mail" for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. In 1991 she married Dennis Quaid and the pair had a son together named Jack.
In 2006, Ryan adopted a 14-month-old girl from China whom she named Daisy True. She was in an on-again-off-again relationship with artist John Mellencamp for several years. Outside of her career, Ryan is active in politics and supports organizations that seek to protect the environment.
Top Gun Rides
As with many other action films, it was only appropriate for "Top Gun" to become a crazy, thrilling roller coaster ride. The Top Gun roller coaster was built in 1993 at Mason, Ohio's Kings Island Amusement Park which was owned by the film company Paramount. The ride was a suspended coaster that emulated an F-14 Tomcat. As people waited in line for the ride, the PA system emitted "Danger Zone."
In 2008, under new ownership, the ride’s name was changed to “Flight Deck.” In 2014, the ride went through a big makeover and became “The Bat.” Besides Kings Island, another ride called “Top Gun” debuted in Santa Clara, California’s Great America from 1993 through 2007. Similarly, this ride also changed its name to “Flight Deck.”
Tom Cruise's Heights
Tom Cruise has been ridiculed throughout his career for his height. Although his chiseled features, strong jawline, and captivating grin in many ways embody what it is to be a man, he doesn't completely have everything going for him. Yup, Tom Cruise is a shorty.
In order to avoid his height being the focal point of many jokes, he uses some on-screen tricks to make himself appear taller. While filming scenes with McGillis in "Top Gun", he often wore lifts in order to appear taller than her. Cruise, who is just 5'7, is much shorter than McGillis who is 5'10. So you can feel a bit better about yourself now that you know Cruise lacks at least one department.
The Maverick
Since the release of "Top Gun" in 1986, fans have been wondering why a sequel was never released. Turns out that director Tony Scott had no interest in making a sequel. When asked about it, he replied "This world fascinated me, because it's so different from what it was originally. But I don't want to do a remake. I don't want to do a reinvention. I want to do a new movie." After Scott's passing, the idea of a sequel remained in question.
Well, fans of the film can rest assured — a sequel is happening. The action-drama sequel is called "Top Gun: Maverick" and is directed by Joseph Kosinski. It focuses on the end of the dogfighting era and the role of drones in modern aerial warfare. Cruise's character flies a F/A-18 Super Hornet. The sequel's budget stands at $140 million, which to say the least, is much higher than its predecessor.