Tom Cruise Convinced His Co-star Who Tried to Leave His $1.4 Billion Movie Because He Hated His Character: “I didn’t know why he existed”

Tom Cruise Convinced His Co-star Who Tried to Leave His $1.4 Billion Movie Because He Hated His Character: "I didn’t know why he existed"
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Tom Cruise starrer 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick turned out to be one of the biggest films of the Hollywood and action star’s career. Not only the sequel made it to the list of the highest-grossing films of all time, but it also received six nominations at the 95th Academy Awards and won the Oscar for Best Sound. The film’s makers and its cast received immense praise for their work in the 2022 sequel.

Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick
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However, one of the cast members was not sure about his character in the Top Gun sequel and almost left the film after he failed to get the part he auditioned for. It led Tom Cruise to take the wheel to get him back on track with his character in the film.

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Read More: “He isn’t the only who saved show business”: Oscar Winner Jamie Lee Curtis Unhappy With Tom Cruise’s $1.4B Top Gun 2 Saving Hollywood, Claims She’s Equally Responsible Too

Glen Powell Almost Lost the Opportunity to Star Alongside Tom Cruise

Glen Powell portrayed the antagonist, Hangman, in the 2022 sequel of Top Gun. The film featuring Tom Cruise was a much-awaited sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun. And like many others, Powell was also a big fan of Tony Scott’s 1986 action adventure.

Glen Powell as Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick
Glen Powell as Hangman

And when he learned that a sequel was being planned for his favorite film, he auditioned for it, hoping to be a part of something he loved growing up. Powell decided to audition for Rooster’s character. Rooster is the son of Captain Maverick’s partner, Goose, from the first film.

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But to his disappointment, he failed to get that role, and Miles Teller was cast as Rooster in the sequel. However, he was offered another part, one of the antagonists to Cruise’s character in the sequel. But he was not sure if he could accept the offer or not.

Hangman and Rooster
Hangman and Rooster

“There was a part of me that didn’t know if I wanted to be a part of something that could bring that much attention and success to me.”

The Set it Up star shared that he felt disconnected from his character as he compared Hangman to Harry Potter’s infamous antagonist, Draco Malfoy. He said that he had no idea why Hangman even “existed” in Maverick’s story.

Read More: Despite a $100 Million Payday, Tom Cruise Lost Huge Money For His $1.4 Billion Movie Because of Paramount’s Deal

Tom Cruise Convinced Glen Powell to Take Hangman’s Role

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Powell was convinced that his character also has a prominent role in the film after he received a call from the lead star of Top Gun: Maverick. A week after the Devotion star learned that he had lost Rooster’s role, he was surprised to get a call from Tom Cruise himself.

“No movie star calls the guy that doesn’t get the role,” he said. Powell shared that after several phone calls, the Mission Impossible star convinced him to take Hangman’s role in the sequel. In an interview with GQ Magazine, the Hidden Figures actor shared that Hangman was in the story to “add conflict to Rooster’s character.”

Glen Powell with Tom Cruise
Glen Powell with Tom Cruise

However, he was not “three-dimensional, and he had no payoff.” And these things about the character made him feel like the character has no purpose. He said, “I didn’t know why he existed.”

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But he could see potential in Hangman after Tom Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Joseph Kosinski advised him to adapt to the character. And Powell is thankful that he did not miss out on this opportunity.

Top Gun: Maverick is available to stream on Paramount+.

Read More: “I would like to experience that”: Tom Cruise’s Decision to Not Have Kids With Nicole Kidman Made Aquaman Star Struggle With ‘Unnecessary Gossips’ Regarding Top Gun Star’s Sexuality

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Source: GQ Magazine

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Written by Laxmi Rajput

Articles Published: 1965

Laxmi Rajput is a writer at Fandomwire. She finished her Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism and worked as a Business News writer for a year. But her interest in entertainment and pop culture compelled her to find a way towards Entertainment Journalism. She has worked across various fields and has 2 years of experience in content writing. She likes reading, music, movies, and traveling. She aspires to become a fiction writer in the future.