Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best cinematic experiences of recent times and one of the few sequels to surpass the original. The film directed by Joseph Kosinski sees Tom Cruise reprise his role from the 1986 original, along with several new additions to the franchise. These include Miles Teller, Glen Powell, and Lewis Pullman.
Director Joseph Kosinski recently had an in-depth discussion regarding the film and shared an anecdote about actor Lewis Pullman piloting an F-18 in one of the film’s most pivotal scenes. Kosinski revealed how the scene freaked out Pullman, resulting in the director having to find a way around the actor’s fear to shoot the scene. Here is what Kosinski revealed about Lewis Pullman’s F-18 scene in Top Gun: Maverick.
Joseph Kosinski Talks Lewis Pullman Piloting an F-18 in Top Gun: Maverick
Director Joseph Kosinski recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz. Kosinski and Horowitz held a watch-along session of the director’s critically acclaimed 2022 action-drama film Top Gun: Maverick. During the session, Kosinski revealed several interesting behind-the-scenes details about the film and provided commentary on most scenes.
Kosinski commented on one of the scenes featuring actor Lewis Pullman co-piloting a plane alongside Monica Barbaro. However, while filming the scene Pullman freaked out because of the intense maneuvers that were being performed using the plane. As a result, he had no idea what to do.
“In the movie, he’s saying the lines but in the uh dailies he’s saying I forgot my line I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Kosinski made the above statement explaining how freaked out Pullman was during the scene. The scene in question shows Pullman’s LT Robert “Bob” Floyd, accompanying Monica Barbaro’s LT Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, as her weapon systems officer, on a mission led by Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
Joseph Kosinski Reveals How He Directed the Flight Sequences in Top Gun 2
Kosinski stated while Pullman forgot his lines while filming the flight scene, the actors were instructed to speak just anything or count to ten and complete the shot. The actual lines were later added to the scene during post-production.
“We told them if you forget your lines just say anything count to 10 if you have to um we’ll make it work in ADR and uh that was one of the funniest takes.”
Kosinski made the above statement about filming the challenging flight scenes and the hilarious moment that ensued when Pullman forgot his lines mid-air. However, Kosinski complimented Pullman and the rest of the actors for delivering impactful performances despite the challenges.
While speaking to Horowitz, Kosinski also touched upon the possibility of a sequel to Top Gun: Maverick. Kosinski stated that while he had thought about it, he was currently busy with other projects. Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures confirmed in January 2024 that a third installment in the franchise was being developed.
Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Paramount+.
