Additionally, IMDB reported that Cruise inserted an impromptu kiss with McGillis after he forgot his line. The scene is following Charlie’s biting assessment of Maverick’s flight performance in front of his peers. She later confesses that she sees some “real genius” in his flying, however, she admits she couldn’t say that in front of others because she’s worried they’ll see she’s falling for him. Cruise forgot his response, and proceeded to kiss McGillis instead. The moment was well received by director Tony Scott that the scene was kept.
Charlie’s house still exists — and it’s getting a makeover
Charlie’s house, the one where she and Maverick had their first date, still stands in Oceanside, California. The house, a Victorian built in 1887 and originally located at 102 North Pacific Street, can be viewed at its new location as part of the Oceanside Beach Resort Property. The home was temporarily moved from its original location in 2019 as part of a nearly $1 million restoration process before finding its final destination at the resort in May 2020. The home is being restored so the public can visit it, and the resort is slated to open in 2021, according to a Visit Oceanside press release.
What happens if you quote the film at the real TOPGUN
According to former naval aviator and TOPGUN instructor Cmdr. Guy “Bus” Snodgrass, students at TOPGUN are slapped with a hefty fine of $5 if they quote the 1986 blockbuster. That’s because “you don’t turn TOPGUN into a joke by referencing the movie,” Snodgrass told Business Insider in September during an interview about his book, “TOPGUN’s Top 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit,” which was published in 2020.
Four Navy pilots were selected to fly the jets in the film
Cruise and the other actors had a little help from some tried and true Navy pilots when it came to flying the fighter jets for the film. The Navy was contacted by those working on “Top Gun” in pursuit of pilots who might fly the F-14 for the film, and among those chosen was Scott Altman, who later became a NASA astronaut, according to NASA.
“The skipper of our squadron picked four guys he thought he could trust to have this kind of carte blanche to break the rules a little bit,” Altman told CNN in 2009.
In fact, Altman is featured in some of the most prominent moments in the film, including the one where Maverick flips off the enemy.
“They said go ahead and gesture at the other airplane,” Altman told CNN. “So when you’re looking at the scene where he’s communicating with the Russian, or the bad-guy pilots in the movie, that would be my finger.”
There are real Navy ships featured in the film
Hollywood had access to several Navy vessels while filming — aircraft carriers Ranger, Enterprise and Carl Vinson. While the Vinson is still activated, the Ranger was decommissioned in 1993 and the Enterprise was decommissioned in 2017.
Ultimately, Paramount Pictures footed a bill totaling $1.8 million to use the Navy’s ships and aircraft for the film, per the Washington Post.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Snodgrass’ quote was said during an interview with Business Insider.