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Top Gun star Tom Skerritt shares his thoughts on the movie’s sequel and reflects on the original 1986 film.
Skerritt, who originally starred as Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf, opened up about what made “Top Gun” so iconic in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
“The music had a lot to do with it, by the way,” he said. “But the script itself, which I’ve always honored as the whole reason for a good show, and you just write the work … and do the job, you have good material for the rest of us to work with.” And I really believed in that script.”
Skerritt starred in the film alongside a young Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and others like Kelly McGillis.
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“Everyone had a good time with it. We all knew, or maybe I just felt it, that this was going to be a very successful film.”
As for working with Cruise, 25, Skerritt told Fox News Digital that he met the actor while he was still speaking with Tony Scott, the director, and the producers.
“He was clearly a nice young man, 25, who knew he was going to rise with this film. He didn’t say that, but I assumed we had talked about it. He knew he would rise with Top Gun. “
Speaking about the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, Skerritt told Fox News Digital, “I think there’s going to be a lot of aeronautics on display, a lot of shooting straight up in the sky and flying as high as you can go.”
“I think we’re just going to watch some guys fly crazy and … they’re going to have a lot of fun, but it’s not going to have the storyline that the original had. You can’t revive something that’s already been done.”
The film hit theaters on May 27 after a two-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Before starring in the ’80s action drama, Skerritt spent time in the United States Air Force. The actor admitted he joined the United States Air Force with the intention of learning to fly an airplane, but never made it.
“The military of the military, no matter what service you’re in,” he told Fox News Digital. “One is a bit rougher than the other. That would be the Marines. But I never got around to flying, which was something I thought would be a dream for me. I had an older brother who was a P-51 pilot in World War II and I loved him and I loved him for what he did.”
“I enrolled right out of high school when I was 17,” he continued. “I thought maybe I could sneak in and become a pilot, which wasn’t possible. I had no math skills at all and I had a good four years to learn how to behave.”
As Memorial Day fast approaches, the actor-turned-producer opened up about what the day means to him.
“It’s quite a bit because I have my own experience in the military,” Skerritt said. “I had my brother in the military.”
Skerritt co-founded the Red Badge Project in 2012 with former Army Captain Evan Bailey. The program helps veterans “discover greater self-acceptance and effectiveness in finding their voice and produce stories inspired by their life experiences,” according to the Red Badge Project website.
Skerritt continued: “I also have a school here called Red Badge where we teach post-traumatic stress vets how to tell a story because there’s a wonderful therapy of being able to tell a story, whether it’s true or not.” recovering from some very bad moments they had. And that is the day for me.”
Fox News’ Larry Fink contributed to this report.
