We weren't the only ones crying during that Top Gun: Maverick scene, it seems. Cast your mind back nine months of so to one of the most heartwarming cinematic moments of 2019 — after almost four decades, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer staged a Top Gun reunion between Mav and Iceman, especially touching given the latter's recent Hollywood absence owing to a shed load of health concerns. It was a touching tribute to their friendship, sure, but also to a cinematic legacy that touches not only Top Gun but the likes of Batman, Heat and The Doors.
According to Cruise, who spoke about the emotional scene during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (h/t Variety), there wasn't a dry eye behind the camera, either. “I just want to say that was pretty emotional,” he said. “I've known Val for decades. For him to come back and play that character… he's such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. You're looking at Iceman.”
Tom Cruise continued, “I was crying, I got emotional. He's such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.”
The 60-year-old was somehow snubbed for a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars for his work on the multi-billion dollar winner, which did get a Best Picture nod — kinda incongruous, given Cruise is the Top Gun sequel. He nevertheless continues to win praise left, right and centre for playing such a pivotal role in revitalising the Hollywood economy, which has struggled amid the dual threats of streaming and the Covid crisis.
Steven Spielberg went so far as to say he “saved Hollywood's ass” in a candid video caught at the annual Oscars luncheon in February. “Seriously, Top Gun: Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry,” the acclaimed director told his counterpart, who he famously directed in 2005's War of the Worlds.
All eyes, now, on the Oscars in a few weeks, where the Top Gun sequel could pick up the biggest prize on offer — though Everything, Everywhere All at Once is the bookies' out-and-out favourite heading into the ceremony. We still think that Kilmer should get a one-off statuette for Best Movie Cameo of All Time, Ever, but what do we know?
