Top Gun Cast

Catch up with the stars of the 1986 hit movie that had us all saying, “I feel the need—the need for speed!”

- RAQUEL LEKIC

While the 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, took the nation by storm, there’s something about the original film, with its highflying action, patriotism and 1980s style that scratches a nostalgic itch.

The film follows the cocky fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise), who gets sent to Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School. There, he shows off his skills while managing to clash with his peers and superiors, who don’t agree with his reckless approach to flying. All the while, he finds himself smitten with his flight instructor and facing the loss of his best friend. Here, catch up with the cast of Top Gun and see how much they’ve changed since 1986.

TOM CRUISE

MAVERICK

Tom Cruise starred in Top Gun in the midst of his ’80s success. The decade gave us such Cruise flicks as Risky Business (1983) and Rain Man (1988).

After Top Gun and his decade of on-screen accomplishments, Cruise’s career only skyrocketed forward. Throughout the ’90s, he starred in some of his most revered roles, including A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), Jerry Maguire (1996) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999), the latter alongside then-wife Nicole Kidman.